L: Angels vs Demons
by BosBaBe
Summary: We saw him fall, he died before our eyes. But everything is not as they appear. L is alive, and after three years he's back with a vengeance, ready to bring Kira to justice. But his world turns upside down with the arrival of a strange new companion. L/OC
1. The Beginning of the End

**Hey all you awesome Death Note fans! This is my first Death Note fanfic, so I sincerely hope you all like it! In this story, L doesn't die, but I won't go around pretending it didn't happen and make it all look unrealistic! I am going to fit it all in, and make it seem very reasonable (I do hope so)! I think I might not be the only one, but I think L's death was VERY sketchy. I mean, how come he was able to predict his own death, and why is his real name L? That just doesn't make any sense! So, I have come up with a solution to this horrible mystery! I hope all you L fans enjoy it!**

**To the fans of my other stories: If you are reading this, know that I am writing your chapters right away! I have not given up on my other stories, but I was too busy to write for the last couple of days, and I had to write this before the idea left me and I got bored! Don't lose faith, and I will post the next chapters soon!**

**Here's the chapter, and this is dedicated to one of my best friends ever! Manga, we all love you, and I hope you get through this rough patch! I'll be with you always! This chapter is also dedicated to L, and to all those awesome L lovers out there! Go Ryusaki! The world just isn't the same without you! ;) **

**The Beginning of the End**

L stood by the door way, his dark eyes staring intently at the wall opposite him. TV and computer screens flashed around him, images shooting in and out of focus as they portrayed information from across the world. News anchors spoke hurriedly into their microphones as they stood at the scenes of crimes, the world around them in utter chaos. Subtitles ran across the screens, dancing white letters moving slowly but steadily till they disappeared from view.

"Despite the efforts of the Japanese police, Kira is still at large. Criminals have been dying at a steady rate, and the public fears this could continue for quite some time. The police refuse to give us any more information on the matter, but have told us they are doing what they can to stop these killings. Will Kira really be brought to justice?" a young woman asked on the screen, addressing the public as she stood before police headquarters in the Kanto region, the wind ruffling her long black hair.

L's eyes drifted briefly toward the screen, the corners of his lips turned down. His large eyes watched the screen for the briefest of moments before moving back to the far wall, ignoring the woman as she began to address other, less pressing matters.

Another news anchor was shouting to be heard over the wind, and L turned to look at this screen, feeling his heartbeat quicken ever so slightly. He watched the screen for a second before walking towards it, his bare feet flapping against the gleaming marble floor. He turned a dial on the keyboard before him, his intelligent eyes glued to the screen as he held his breath.

The volume rose, and he listened to the report, his suspicion growing with every word uttered.

"The disease has been spreading ever faster across the Western continents, and scientists have now confirmed that it has reached Africa, Europe, and the frontiers of the Middle East. The top scientists of the globe have still not been successful at discovering the cure, and many towns in the East are being consumed by panic. Sky News will continue to give accurate detail on the situation."

L stared at the screen, feeling his heart sink further and further into his body.

_Time appears to be running out...I have to work things out quickly before the situation gets out of hand._

L's hand drifted to the tray of food on the table to his left. His fingers closed gently around a small chocolate ball, and he brought it up to his lips. He held it there for a few seconds, considering it thoughtfully before popping it in his mouth, giving a little moan of delight as he moved it around with his tongue.

The world's best detective turned to the wall again, and he walked towards it, burying his hands in his jean pockets, slumping as he walked. He reached the wall and placed a pale hand on the concrete, his palm resting against the surface.

For a second he kept it there, felling as if a brick instead of a small chocolate ball had fallen into his stomach. The little part of him that had the least control wanted to scream and run, but he pushed it down. All the while his face remained devoid of all emotion, showing no signs of the struggle within him.

"It seems I will have to make the sacrifice. But it's a small price to pay for justice," he murmured as his index finger pressed against a small spot on the wall.

There was a soft click, and he pulled the small patch of wall away, revealing a square safe behind it. A small keyboard popped out towards him, the number pad lit up with a yellow light. A screen flashed into life, flickering as it waited for the security codes.

Normally, someone would have needed all the members security codes if someone wanted to get in. They'd all have to file up and type theirs in, and if one person didn't type theirs in, the safe wouldn't open.

And only that specific member knew his own codes.

Well, at least that was meant to be the case.

L typed in his code, humming softly to himself as he went. The screen flashed in recognition of his input, then waited patiently for the next.

L gave a small, pleasant smile, before typing in Lights, taking satisfaction at this ever so small victory. The screen flashed once again, and then waited for the next set of numbers.

Without even a second thought L typed in the rest of the codes, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. Finally the screen flashed green, and the safe door swung open, allowing the young man access to its forbidden contents.

L smiled a genuine smile, the corners of his mouth lifting up as he smiled in true glee. But soon his smile fell, replacing itself with his ever serious expression. He reached a hand into the vault, and withdrew it, holding his breath as he pulled its contents free.

The Death note left the safe, L's white hand grasping it firmly. He left the safe open, examining the notebook with careful eyes.

_No turning away now..._a voice in his mind warned, and he pushed it down, ignoring his conscience completely.

He cast a look around the room, watching the closed door before walking to his chair. He climbed up into it, settling down onto his haunches as he placed the notebook on the table. His eyes drifted towards the security cameras, and he smiled, a sly chuckle bubbling in his throat.

_Watari will be packing our bags right now and the rest of the task force is busy working on the Kira case...that leaves me all clear._

L opened the notebook, and shifted through to a blank page. He stared at the page for a bit, examining it thoughtfully.

He only noticed his hands were shaking when he reached over to grab another chocolate ball. He froze, watching his trembling hand before it bringing it back, clutching his hands together as he hugged himself.

_My plan will work. I've been over it a thousand times before...what other choice do I have?_

L steadied himself, and grabbed a chocolate ball, then changed his mind and grabbed two. He stuffed them both in his mouth and began to suckle on them, calming his nerves.

Then, with a steady hand, he reached out and took a pen from the pen holder before him, bringing it back to him.

He held it in his hands, placing the tip on the page. He swallowed the dissolved chocolate in his mouth, took a breath, and slowly began to write a name in the notebook.

It was quick, quicker than what he would have thought. No pain hit him, and no lead weight dropped in his stomach. He stared at the name, time, date and cause of death on the page, and he felt a tear roll down his cheek, the tear falling and hitting the page with a pat.

It was his own name. He'd written his very own name in the Death note.

L swallowed, wiping the wet trail on his cheek. He had to hope, no, he had to believe, that he wouldn't die. His plan just _had _to work, no matter how hard he had to fight for it.

L took the page and ripped it gently, tearing the page out the notebook. He made sure not to damage the book, as well as making sure to leave no evidence that there was a page missing.

He folded the page neatly, tucking it into the front of his pants to keep it hidden. No one would dare reach down and grab something out his underwear...at least, that is what he assumed.

He closed the notebook and got up, hurrying back to the safe. He placed it back inside and closed the safe, closing both the door and the wall hatch carefully and quietly.

He walked back to his chair and settled in it, feeling his heart beat slow and his breathing regulate. He looked down at his hands, moving them slowly before reaching out and grabbing another chocolate ball from the dish.

_If the notebook is correct, I have thirteen days to live before I die if I don't write any more names. If the rule proves false...then I have to start all over again._

The door behind him opened, and L turned around, looking to see who it was.

Light Yagami stepped into the room, his intelligent brown eyes scanning the room. He spotted L's thick mess of black hair sticking up behind the chair, and he smiled, a sadistic smirk crossing his face before he replaced it with his casual warm smile.

"Ryusaki? What are you doing here all by yourself? I thought you'd have joined us on the investigation!"

L shrugged, turning away as Light came to stand next to his chair. He looked up into the young man's face, and he gave him one of his dead pan stares.

_If the thirteen day rule is a fake, then Light and Misa are going to be in the red once again...this is going to be _very _interesting._

"No, I decided not to join you for that one. But I have another reason."

Light gave him a smile, cocking his head curiously to one side, "Oh, and may I ask what that is? But maybe I shouldn't, see as you may find that suspicious. I don't need another nail in my coffin."

L nodded thoughtfully, turning back to his tray of beloved sweets, "Yes, you certainly don't. My suspicions of you being Kira have already risen up to four percent. But, I will tell you my reasons, since you will find out eventually even if I don't tell you.

"I'm leaving the Kira case for a while. It's nothing permanent, but I have another case that is in urgent need of my attention. I should be back within twenty eight days," L said, snatching up a chocolate ball and licking it. He closed his eyes in appreciation, but not all the way, just low enough for him to watch Light's reaction through his thick eyelashes.

Light put on a look of shock, hiding his internal laughter as he picked up this new juicy piece of information.

_L's leaving? This is exactly what I need! But I can't kill too many while he's away, since that will only prove that I am Kira. If Kira wasn't in the task force, he'd still lay low, since he doesn't know of L's absence. I'll just have to play the game very carefully for the time being!_

"What? Why are you leaving? Surely there isn't a case more important than this!! Do you honestly think Kira will stop killing criminals while you take a break?! Kira doesn't work like that, Ryusaki, and you know it!" Light yelled his eyes wide with shock and horror.

L gave a growl, his eyes flashing open. He turned to look at the young man, his large and expressionless eyes seeming to drill right into Light's soul.

"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid, Light Yagami? I now the game well enough. But there is something far worse out there, something that doesn't care what it kills, innocent or not," L stated, his voice still containing no emotion.

Light frowned, genuinely puzzled, "Oh, and what might that be? I never thought I'd hear you say something's worse than Kira, to be quite honest."

L turned to the wide screen before them, grabbing a remote. He scanned the other small screens first before pressing a button, pointing it at the wide screen.

"See for yourself. Unless you haven't even been watching the news recently, this should be quite familiar to you."

The smaller images blinked away, replaced by a larger image. It was another news anchor, this time sitting behind a comfortable desk as a screen behind him showed all the grisly, chaotic images. It was portraying an African village, the dirt covered by bodies, the corpses sheltered from view by white blankets. More bodies were being carried out of huts, each one being lined up in neat rows. The sight of it made L's stomach clench with disgusted rage and horror.

"The death toll in these African countries continues to rise, and whole towns have even begun to collapse. Women, elders and children seem to be more effected by the disease, their deaths coming faster and more out of the blue. Scientists are still left baffled by the ferocity of this sudden plague. Many people have suggested dubbing it 'The Kira virus', but the name has been turned down by scientists, since the name might raise anger in many of the world's nations."

Light stared at the screen for a while longer, his eyes full of shock and disgust. The screen soon blinked and died, and L turned to look up at Light, giving him a serious look.

"I won't sit here and watch as that virus kills so many. Kira will just have to do without me for a while. I'm sure you and the rest of the task force can handle things by yourself. I and Watari will remain in contact with you, so we can keep you noted on the situation."

Light nodded, turning to smile at L. The genius gave him a small smile in return, before climbing out the chair, straightening up to his normal, slightly hunched posture. He shuffled his feet, standing on one foot as the other scratched it briefly before moving back to the floor. He buried his left hand in his jean pocket and reached out his right hand, his elbow bent slightly.

"Till I see you again, Light. It's been...dare I say 'fun' working with you?"

Light smiled genuinely, grasping L's pale hand in his own. They shook hands warmly, and for a moment it seemed as if they were truly friends.

"It really has been fun. I'm going to miss kicking your butt."

A corner of L's mouth twitched, almost forming a smile, "I agree. But I look forward to another tennis match. I'll admit I'm still looking for a spot of revenge for that."

Light laughed, withdrawing his hand, "I thought you'd be. But didn't you get your revenge by kicking me through the face?"

L smiled wryly at the memory, "Yes, but you did punch me in the eye, if my memory is correct. And as they say an eye for an eye."

"But wouldn't that make the whole world blind?"

L shrugged, "That doesn't change human nature."

Light smiled, and was about to say something when the door behind them opened. L peered to the side, looking around Light, and he sobered, seeing his ever faithful guardian, Watari, standing in the doorway, clothed in a neat travelling coat.

"Ryusaki? The car has arrived for us. Are you ready?" Watari asked him, giving him an almost fatherly smile.

L nodded, walking to his guardian. They walked out the door together, making their way down the corridor towards the stairs that would lead them to the elevators. They had just reached the bottom of the stairs when L heard a call behind him. He stopped and turned, his hands buried in his pockets, giving the caller a sideways glance, the side of his body facing the caller as he watched Light run to the foot of the stairs.

Light stood there panting for a second before looking L in the eyes, his expression seeming almost worried.

"Ryusaki, you do realize that you could die on this case, right? That disease could get you too!" Light called, his hand resting on the banister of the stairs.

L shrugged, the shoulder facing Light moving up slightly.

"I won't die from that. I've made sure of that. But no matter what case I'm on, my life will always be at risk. Isn't the Kira case dangerous enough?"

Light put on a confused expression, and he opened his mouth to say something, but L waved at him briefly before heading towards the elevator. He stepped inside next to Watari, and the door pinged shut behind him.

L settled back against the wall, his head tilted back slightly as it rested on the glass wall of the elevator. He stared at the light above them intently, listening to the elevator music. *

He glanced in Watari's direction, his eyes watching him through thick eyelashes. His one hand drifted down to his lap, and he made sure his companion wasn't looking before touching the crotch of his pants, feeling if the death note page was secure.

He didn't have to test it, since he could clearly feel the edges of the page rubbing painfully against his manhood, cutting against the sensitive flesh and making him want to gasp. Yes, he could definitely feel it _there, but _he just had to make sure.

He moved his hand away, and he closed his eyes, dreading what was to come. Writing his name in the notebook had been so frighteningly easy. He could see now why it was so easy for Kira to kill his victims.

_He doesn't have to watch his victims die. He doesn't have to stab them, doesn't have to see the light leave their eyes, and doesn't have to feel someone die before him. It's all horrifyingly simple...one name is all it takes._

And it had only taken one name to cut his own life away. In less than a minute, he had succeeded in ceiling his fate.

_It's a risk I will just have to take. It's a small price to pay for the live that could be spared._

L closed his eyes, taking in a moment to relax, before opening them slowly. He turned to Watari, his expression blank.

"Watari?"

"Yes, Ryusaki? What's the matter?"

L took a quick breath, before looking his guardian in the eyes, his expression turning deadly serious.

"I have new plan for us. But I'd rather have you seated when I tell it to you...it may come as quite a shock."

* * *

L stood at the top of his skyscraper, his body wet from the rain. He stared up at the sky, raindrops falling to his face, stinging his deathly pale skin. His large, blank eyes stared up into the sky, gazing at the black, swollen clouds that hung over head, pelting him with rain.

It had been exactly two days since his return from his last case, and he had returned successful, saving the world from a deadly virus. It had been hard, but he had made it through, and he was glad he could have helped.

But, he knew it was not without sacrifice. It has been twenty three days since he wrote his name in the Death Note, and he could already hear the bells tolling, signalling his death.

All he could do was focus on his plan. He had to make sure all the pieces fell into place.

L watched the sky, and he felt a horrible pain in his heart, making his eyes sting.

_I'm not going to die today._

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he stiffened, feeling as if he was being watched. He turned his head to the side, and he saw Light standing in the doorway, safe from the rain. Light stared at him in confusion, before stepping closer, still sheltering himself from the terrible weather.

Light called out to him, trying to raise his voice above the roar of the weather, but L couldn't hear him. He placed his hand to his ear and tilted his head to the side, indicating that he couldn't hear him. Light called out again, and the genius smiled wryly, tilting his head comically in a mock effort to hear him.

Light gave up, and he walked toward the soaked young man, lifting his arm to battle against the weather.

L buried his hands in his pockets, feeling his wet shirt stick to his skin and arms. He looked down with sad eyes, not watching his friend approach him.

"What are you doing, Ryusaki?" he questioned, his voice sounding almost gentle.

L looked away, his expression sad and lifeless. The bags under his eyes stood out against his pale skin, his hair flopped and sticking to his face from the rain. The sight of him made Light feel a slight pang of compassion.

"Oh...I'm not doing anything in particular it's just...I hear the bell," he murmured, looking up at the sky.

Light stared at him, looking slightly confused, "The bell?"

"Yes.., the sound of the bell has been unusually loud today," he noted, still watching the sky with sad and troubled eyes.

Light looked around, searching for what L was speaking of. He heard and saw no bell, and he turned back to L, once again doubting the detective's sanity.

"I don't hear anything."

L looked back at Light, his head cocked to the side slightly, "Really, you can't hear it? It's been ringing none stop all day. I find it very distracting...I wonder if it's a church; maybe a wedding or perhaps a..." he let the last word drift off, not wanted to say the dreaded word.

Light lost patience, glaring at the young man, "What are you getting at, Ryusaki? Come on cut it out, let's get back inside!"

L looked away from the giant satellite dish before them, water dripping off of him as he briefly looked at Light before averting his gaze.

"I'm sorry...nothing I say makes any sense anyway," he said, hunching his shoulders and looking down at his feet, "If I were you I wouldn't believe any of it."

There was a moment of silence, and Light looked closely at L, examining him. L seemed sadder than usual, maybe even depressed. His bizarre behaviour confused him, but Light pushed it aside, smiling reassuringly.

"You know you're totally right...honestly most of the things you say sound like complete nonsense. There'd be no end to my troubles if I actually took you seriously all the time. I probably know that better than anyone."

"Yes...I would say that's a fair assessment. Well...I could say the same about you."

Light made a confused sound, looking at L strangely.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

L smiled slightly, turning to meet Lights eyes, "Tell me Light from the moment you were born has there ever been a point where you actually told the truth?"

All sound disappeared, and Light felt his heart skip a beat. He looked into L's eyes, and saw nothing but cold determination.

"Where is this coming from, Ryusaki? I do admit I stretch the truth here and there...however, find me one person in this world who's never had to tell a lie. It wouldn't be easy...human beings just aren't made to be perfect like that. Everybody lies from time to time. Even so I've always made a conscious effort to be careful not to tell a lie that could hurt others...that's my answer."

L stared at him for a moment longer, his eyes still hard and determined before softened, turning away from him.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that...let's go back inside, we're both drenched."

Light felt a surge of relief, and he smiled slightly, turning to go.

"Yeah..."

They walked back inside together, their clothes drenched and their thick hair dripping. They dried each other off; sharing a moment of peace that was very short lived. It was strange for the both of them, but it was something both of them would remember for years to come: a moment where two enemies seemed to be at peace.

But something L said shattered the moment, sending Light's mind reeling.

"You'll get what you wanted. You and I will be parting ways soon," he said, his face containing a said, almost regretful smile.

Light was too shocked to speak, his eyes wide and confused. He wanted to say something, to question the last, confusing thing he had said. What on earth was he talking about?

He opened his mouth slightly to speak, but L's phone rang, breaking the silence. L stood to his feet, burying his hand in his pocket and taking out his cell phone.

He answered it, and he hid his face from Light, not wanting him to see the look of dread that crossed his eyes.

_It's coming...I barely have minutes left._

_

* * *

  
_

L and Light walked into the main conference room, and they saw the rest of the team crowding around his computer. Matsuda saw them come in, and he turned to L, his face twisted in anger and confusion.

"Ryusaki, what's the meaning of all this?! You somehow got an approval from another country to use the notebook for an execution?!"

L felt his plan click into place, and he blessed Watari for his amazing work. The lie was quick and efficient, and as he had hoped, they had all fallen into it effortlessly.

_Well done, Watari. We don't have to wait long now._

"Watari...excellent work, thank you," he said, his voice barely containing any emotion as he settled into his seat before his computer, watching the formal 'W' symbol on the screen.

"Not at all," his kind voice replied, making L feel a pang of guilt for what was to come.

"First things first, please make arrangements to transport the notebook immediately."

"Right."

The other task force members stared at him in confusion and anger, not believing what was happening before their very eyes. Light couldn't believe things had taken such a horrific turn. He could see all his hard work falling to pieces before his very eyes, and he couldn't let it happen.

_Rem, you'd better come through now! I can't let this happen! Kill him, do it now!!!!_

"Ryusaki, what are you trying to do?" he questioned, knowing full well what L's intentions were.

"I'm going to try out the notebook for real," he answered calmly, letting his spoon rise and fall above the pages of the notebook. He knew what he had just said, and the words that were to come, would set his plan into action faster than a wild fire in the heat of summer.

The mood in the room instantly changed, becoming hostile and angered. L's plan burst into action, and he could feel the seconds ticking away, racing ever closer to his fate.

The eyes of the task force member's widened, and they all stared at L with renewed anger and disbelief. Gasps of shock filled the air, and task force members moved forwards, their eyes filled with anger.

"We can't do that, and there's no point in testing it now when we already know the notebooks power is real!"

"And besides who is going to write the name? If someone starts writing names they'll have to obey the thirteen day rule and keep writing names forever!" Matsuda pleaded, clinging to desperate hope.

"It's already been worked out, the person who will write in the book is a criminal scheduled to be executed in just over thirteen days. If he's still alive thirteen days after writing the name he will be pardoned from execution," L stated, still not looking at the other detectives. He could feel the heat rising, and he knew it wouldn't be long now before the final moment of truth.

The men gasped.

"But still, to sacrifice a life-"

"We're very close!!" L growled loudly, cutting off Mr Yagami mid sentence, "If we work this out the entire case will be solved!" he lied, knowing full well what he was implying.

_The thirteen day rule if a fake, I'm living proof of that! This means that Light and Misa are still suspect, and there is nothing that can save them now! This piece of information will force Kira into action, and he will stop at nothing to keep his identity a secret!_

Rem heard this, and her eyes turned red. She would protect Misa at all costs, and L had successfully pushed her right into his trap.

Lightning hit the building, and the lights went out before flashing back into life. The room turned red as alarms roared into life, and the task force members became swallowed up in confusion.

"What's this, a black out?" Matsuda asked his voice heavy with fear.

But L remained as composed as ever. It was all over, and he knew it. The last piece of his plan was about to fall into place. He could even feel Rem staring at him, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

_You'll follow Kira's orders to the letter, won't you Rem? Go on, I know you're going to do it! Write my name in the notebook! It won't take long now!_

He heard Watari cry out over the intercom, and he felt a surge of sorrow. He wished things could have worked out differently, but this was the only way.

_I'm sorry, Watari...you will always be like a father to me...I hope you knew that._

L looked up into the camera, letting his eyes fill with a look of confusion and worry. But beneath it, lay a layer of sadness and devotion. A last parting gift to the man that had been like a father to him. The one who had never let him down once.

"Watari?"

Watari gazed at his charge, his eyes filled with pain and love. He put in his last dying effort, and pressed the button. It would appear as if he was deleting each and every bit of information he had, but instead, he was merely sending it as far away from here as possible.

The screens turned white, identifying the deletion. L knew it happened, and he called out to him one last time, making it his form of farewell.

"Watari!" he shouted, and the screen went black, dying out just as Watari fell to the floor.

The screens in the task force room went white, the word 'All Data deletion' flashing across the screens. L felt a wave of gratitude wash over him, but he didn't let it show.

"Data deletion, what the hell is going on?!"

"I told Watari...to make sure he should erase all information, in the event that something were to happen to him," he murmured, making his voice sound shocked.

"If something where to happen...?"

"Could it be...?" Matsuda gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

L's eyes widened in fake realization, and he turned in his chair, addressing the room.

"Where is the shinigami?"

"Good question!"

"I don't see it!"

But L knew exactly where it was. It was hiding away, writing the last name down in its notebook.

_My plan...has finally come together._

Rem wrote furiously, writing down the last name, the name that would end her life as well as his.

"It's disappeared!"

"What's going on?!"

L saw his moment come, and he raised his voice above the chaos.

"Everyone, the shinigam-"

But he stopped, his eyes going wide as the Death Note took effect. His heart gave a shudder as a heart attack hit him full force, rushing at him like a speeding train.

_Oh...that's one..._

But that wasn't the end.

Another heart attack hit him, and L felt himself rip into two as the two death notes fought it out. The two names battled against each other, the wrong name battling against the right one.

This is what L had been hoping for.

***FLASHBACK***

_L and Watari sat in the saloon car, sitting next to one another. L watched as Watari sat in silence, the guardians face deathly pale._

"_You see know why I needed you to be seated for this, Watari. I am going to die...very soon. But I have a plan, a plan that can help us avoid that."_

_Watari looked up, his pale blue eyes shocked, "Ryusaki...how can you be so sure of your death? Surely you can't predict that!"_

"_Oh, but I can. You see Watari; it was I who wrote my name in the Death Note."_

_Watari gasped, and he sat forward in his seat, his eyes wide as he stared at the young genius, "What do you mean?! Why would you do such a thing, Ryusaki!?"_

"_I had no other choice! This case that I'm on requires me to get up and close to a disease that could kill me within less than three days! If I write my name in the notebook, specifying that I will die from a heart attack, the disease won't affect me! It's a sacrifice I have to make! But as I said before, I have a plan that can save my life, a way to keep me from dying."_

_Kira could get information from the shinigami, maybe even my name. If he finds out that I am going to make a stand against him, he could kill me. But he won't do it unless I make a direct move against him. He'd get the shinigami to write down my name for him, and I too will die of a heart attack."_

_Watari nodded, taking all this information in. But he couldn't put the two pieces of information together._

"_Ryusaki, how can that save you? Surely that can only make the situation worse!"_

"_It would appear so, but in fact, this can be the situation that saves my life. I can announce that I plan to use the notebook on a criminal, to test if some of the rules are genuine. Kira will not take this information lightly and he will make an effort to end my life. The shinigami will write my name in the notebook, and I will have two heart attacks. But because the two names that are written in the book are different, they will cancel each other out."_

_This is my plan. On the day that I am meant to die I will make the announcement of the scheduled killing. When I am confident that my name is being written down, I will give you a sign. You will send the information to our new facility in Tokyo, making sure it seems that all our information on Kira has been deleted. It will appear as if something has happened to you, but in reality you will be leaving headquarters, waiting outside with a car to fetch me. I will call a companion of mine from the FBI to fetch my body, since I doubt I will be conscious after my heart attacks. After all of this, we can work in secrecy in Tokyo, working solely on the Kira case and other related cases. We will eventually return to here to the Kanto region, where we will rejoin the task force. They will have presumed that I had died, so my return will most likely shock them to no end."_

_He smiled at Watari, his eyes seeming bright at the prospect of success. Watari processed the information and he smiled kindly, feeling pride swell up in his old heart._

"_A brilliant plan, Ryusaki! A true marvel! As soon as we reach the hotel, I will begin preparations."_

"_Thank you Watari...but there is one slight issue..."_

_Watari frowned, and he watched his young charge, feeling a pang of dread well up in his heart._

"_There is a very good chance that my theory will not work. Even if the name is wrong, there is a chance that I will still have a heart attack. It could just cancel the other out...maybe the wrong name won't even register, and I will have killed myself. I am going out on a limb with this Watari...and, there may be a change that you shall die in this plan. The shinigami might go after you first, and then write my name down...I hope it shall not have to come down to that."_

_Watari sat in silence, taking this latest piece of information in. L couldn't even look into his eyes as he waited, and he looked down at his lap, clenching his pale fists._

_But then he felt a warm hand cover his own, and he looked up, surprised._

"_Ryusaki...I will go with your plan. My duty is to protect and help you, and I will do what I can to keep you safe. If I die in this plan, then I will not die in vain. As long as you survive, I will do whatever it takes. Do you understand that?"_

_L looked up into the kind man's old and frail face and he smiled, feeling warm affection bubbling in his heart._

"_Thank you, Watari..."_

***FLASHBACK END***

The heart attacks stopped, jump starting his heart and pushing it back into action. It beat at a rate of knots, and L felt a scream claw at his throat, pain surging through every fibre of his being as the two forces collided, destroying one another. He fell to the floor, his body on fire, his eyes seeing nothing through the haze of pain.

Only one thought raced through his mind, numbing his senses completely.

_I've done it...I am still alive..._

Light watched as L fell, seeing it in slow motion. He saw the spoon fall to the floor, and he watched as L fell from his chair, seemingly in the midst of a ferocious heart attack. He jumped forward, catching L before he hit the floor.

"Ryusaki! What's wrong?!" Matsuda cried, rushing forward as Light lifted L, trying to see L's face. The task force members stared at L in horror, not believing what had just happened.

Bells tolled in L's ears, and his pupils shrank, looking normal for one of the few moments in his life. All he could see was blackness, his eyes completely blind.

It was a shame, since if he could see he would have been able to see Light's contemptuous smile, his red eyes alight with cruel, wicked victory.

L's stared at him for what felt like a lifetime, before his eyes began to close slowly. His body went limp as he fell into total unconsciousness, the ringing of the bells soothing his pain as he finally fell into inky blackness.

Light smirked down at him, before putting on a look of horror, and he shook L gently, trying in vain to wake him, "Hey, Ryusaki...come on snap out of it!" he cried, his voice rising in fake panic.

"What happened?" Mr Yagami asked his eyes wide with shock.

"What's going on!?"

Light screamed in fear and horror, his eyes wide with senseless panic. His screams were not cries of remorse, but of pure fear and terror, not caring about the friend that had supposedly just died in his arms.

"Light, calm down!" His father cried, trying to soothe his screaming son, even though his own voice was half hearted.

"We're gonna die!!! Watari, Ryusaki, it will be us next!!" he screamed, looking up at his comrades with eyes full of fake terror.

The rest of the men looked about, becoming swallowed up in the chaos. They fell to the floor, clutching themselves and crying out, forgetting about their fallen companion. They cried out and shivered, waiting for their deaths to come.

But as the minute ticked by, nothing happened. They were all alive, and they straightened up, shocked.

The silence was broken by Light's cries of angered sorrow.

"Damn you!!! Where are you shinigami, come out!!"

"Wait Light, stop!"

"You something about this, don't you!! Come on out!!"

Light left L's body, getting to his feet and walking away. Aizawa dropped to his knees and held L, holding his limp body in his arms.

"We'd better go and look too," Light's dad murmured, getting up and following Light. The rest of the task force followed, leaving Mogi to take L's body away.

He carried L's body out the door, holding him in his arms as he went. He looked down at the motionless young man, feeling a lump rise in his throat.

"What a horrible way for things to end..."

Suddenly, a man stood before him, dressed in a black business suite. He had long black hair, the hair tumbling down his shoulders. He had pale skin and deep blue eyes, and his face was serious and determined.

"Mr Mogi? What are you...?"

His voice died, and he stared at L's body, not believing his eyes. He shook his head, his face twisted in shock and horror.

"No...No it didn't happen! Oh my god...!"

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before! What are you doing here?"

The man shook himself, looking at Mogi with sorrow filled eyes, "I'm Michael... L called me here to work with him! We've worked on cases together in the past! Oh no...No, this isn't happening!"

Mogi looked at a card on Michael's shirt, and he saw a FBI badge on it, sitting next to a picture and name tag. He stared at it for a moment before stepping forward, clasping L's body tightly.

"You seem to be who you say you are. I need you to do me a favour. I have to help my team find the thing that's responsible for Ryusaki's death. I need you to take him and place him in the coroner's office. It's in the basement, just below the underground parking bay. They have a casket there for in case something like this was to happen. I also need you to find someone who can fetch Watari's body. Can you do that for me? As soon as you're done you can come up to our task room. There's a lot that we need to ask you."

Michael nodded, and he took L in his arms, lifting him carefully. L's head moved lamely to the side, his head resting on Michael's arm.

"I'll see to it that it gets done. It's the least I can do for him," Michael murmured, looking down at the world's best detective with sad, regretful eyes.

"Thank you, Michael."

Mogi turned and ran, running back to the rest of his team, who were all searching high and low for Rem. Only one of them would find her, and all that would be found was a pile of sand, the Death Note buried in the small mound of it.

Unfortunately, Light would be the only one to find it, and he's never mention the find to the rest of his team.

Michael waited till Mogi was gone before looking down at L, smiling in triumph.

"I don't believe it! You actually did it! You truly are a genius, L."

He pressed a finger against L's throat, searching for a heartbeat. He found one, and he noted at how soft and weak it was. But it was definitely there, and he felt grateful for that. Thankfully, everyone had been too busy panicking to notice that he was still alive and breathing.

Michael walked hurriedly down the corridor, taking the exact route L had described to him. He reached a staff elevator, and he climbed inside, reaching out and pressing the second last button on the wall, making sure to take them to the second lowest underground level.

As he waited in the elevator, he tapped a button on his watch, smiling as the earpiece in his ear switched on.

"M, has the target been secured?" a voice asked him, the voice as clear as if the person was standing right beside him.

"Yes, I've picked up the target. Bring in the replacement body. Take it down to the coroner's office on the second basement floor. You'll see the casket for the body there."

"Got it, the car's waiting for you at the checkpoint."

Michael signed off, and he shifted L in his arms, making his hold more comfortable. As he moved, L let out a low moan, the sound loud and clear. Michael gave a jump of shock, and then sighed, looking down at the young man.

_He's lucky to be alive right now..._

The elevator ground to a halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit, unused parking bay. There were a few unmarked patrol cars, but nothing more, since there was barely anyone in the building to begin with.

But there was one car parked there that Michael recognized instantly. A sleek black Bentley stood in the corner, the paint gleaming in the light from the lamps over head. Its windows were tinted black, and there was no license plate on the back.

Michael sighed in relief at the sight of the beautiful black saloon car, and he hurried to it, making sure to stay on the path that L warned him to take. The young genius had warned him of a path way throughout the building that remained hidden from camera view, granted by his wishes, and there was a single parking space unseen by the cameras. This happened to be the area the Bentley was parked in.

Michael hurried to the car, and he finally reached it. He popped open the left rear door and gently placed L on the duvet there, making sure to rest his head on the pillow. He covered up the detective in a warm blanket, and then checked his temperature, making sure his charge was safe from any unseen dangers.

Confident L was in good condition he closed the door, rushing over to the passenger door hurriedly. He threw open the door and climbed in, settling into the passenger seat.

A woman sat in the driver's seat, her orange hair cut short in a spiky bob. She was wearing a skimpy little black dress, with a pair of silver high heels on each foot. A diamond chocker necklace hung around her neck, and her lips were shiny with lip-gloss. Despite her beauty, she looked extremely dangerous, and the Colt handgun strapped to her thigh in a black thigh holster didn't seem to make her seem any less dangerous. Many a time the only term Michael could describe her with was 'black-widow pretty'

She grinned wickedly at him, her green eyes flashing mischievously.

"You're a real old mother hen, aren't you Mickey?"

Michael scowled at the woman, strapping himself in before turning around in his seat to take another look at L, "I'm just looking out for him! And how many times have I told you not to call me Mickey, Julia?"

Julia grinned at him, revealing two wicked look canines, "Many a time before. But as you know, I couldn't give a rat's ass how you feel, so I'll keep calling you that, Mickey."

Michael growled, and he settled down in his seat. He unstrapped his shoulder holster and shoved it in the glove compartment, making sure to hide it.

His eyes drifted over to Julia's thigh, and he gulped, his cheeks suddenly becoming very warm from the huge exposure of her long legs. Then he saw her gun, and he pointed accusingly at her thigh holster.

"Come on Julia, take that off! We're going to be travelling through town, and the last thing we need is to get arrested here in the fucking Kanto region!"

Julia gave him a pout, her eyes shining with mock tears, "But I thought we were going to have some fun today!"

"Gods you're impossible!"

"Fine fine, keep your balls on!" Julia growled, taking off her thigh holster. She shoved it into his glove compartment, placing it next to his. She slammed the compartment door shut and turned on the car, muttering under her breath as she turned the key in the ignition.

The car roared into life, and Julia smirked, flexing her hands on the steering wheel.

"I love cars like this! Mickey, we should really go on missions like this more often! I love long road trips in fast cars!"

Michael rolled his eyes as they reversed out the parking lot, pointing their nose to the entrance. Julia pressed her foot down slightly, and the car surged forwards, moving towards the exit ramp.

"Julia! Keep the noise down, and drive carefully! We have another passenger, may I remind you."

Julia winced, and she moved a hand behind her seat, patting L's hair gently.

"Sorry Ryusaki," she murmured kindly, before turning back to the road, her eyes focusing on the road.

They came out into the fresh air, the saloon car pulling out onto the street. Michael sighed in relief as they turned the corner, moving away from the base of L's headquarters.

The dash board radio crackled into life, and the same voice from early spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over the passengers.

"M, J, the body is in place. Are you and the target secured?"

"Yes. J and I are just nearing the edge of town. The target is safe and secure."

"Well done. Make it to Tokyo as soon as possible. We will be waiting for you there. Be careful at the borders, and make sure not to draw attention to yourselves."

"Right," both agents answered at once, nodding in agreement.

The screen died, and they stopped at a traffic light, slowing down at the back of the queue. As they stopped L moaned, and he rolled in his blanket, twisting himself at an awkward angle, not to different from the way he usually did things. His breathing became deeper, and his eyes flickered beneath his pale eyelids, his intelligent mind lost in a dream.

Julia turned in her seat, and her face softened. She reached out a well manicured hand and touched L's face, her hand moving his thick black hair out his face. Her hand rested on his forehead, and she smiled, her eyes soft and gentle.

"He's so sweet...in a strange kind of way. The fact that he's alive is a miracle in itself."

"The fact that someone like him exists is a miracle. That is why we must fight so hard to get him safely to Tokyo. He's the best chance we have of stopping Kira."

Julia smiled, and she moved her hand back to the steering wheel. A wicked grin spread across her face once more, and her eyes glowed with an almost insane green fire.

"Working with him is going to be a real treat. Maybe he can ease our boredom for a little while, don't you agree?"

Michael laughed, the sound almost containing a bitter twist to it.

"My dear, you have no idea!"

* * *

**There it is, my first Death Note chapter! I hope you all loved it! Hopefully you all found my quotes accurate and my characters in character. I worked really hard on the theory as to why L would still be alive, so I hope it was up to standard! Yes, the idea that two death notes can cross each other out is far fetched, but it seems to be the most likely way out. Also, the fact that L wrote his name down in the death note was never mention in the anime or manga, but was made up in the live action movie L: Change the WorLd. I thought the idea was pretty good for my plot, so I added it in! Hope you all liked it!**

*** The song in the elevator was Zetsubou Billy (Death Note ending theme song two the chorus) sang by Maximum Hormone! I have always loved that song, and it will be the theme song for this entire story (I especially love the chorus!)**

**Here's a message to everyone who loves L: ISN'T HE JUST SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE AND AWESOME!!!!!??? May he live forever in our hearts!**

**I will try to launch the next chapter soon, so keep your fingers crossed!**

**Ps. People, that big green button on the bottom of the page doesn't bite! Show that you care and send a review! Please? Pretty please? Thank you! But no flamers! I HATE flames, and they hurt, so if you haven't got something nice to say, you can fuck off. Simple as that. If you don't like the story, then that's your own personal opinion. i won't hold it against you. but if you are going to be hurtful and and act like a complete asshole, then I will not tolerate it. I'm sure others feel the exact same way.**

**And, on a much better note, I will leave you all! Have a great day! ;)**


	2. A Not So Happy Family Reunion

**Hey guys! I've updated earlier than I expected! This story is just flowing through me like water! I'm so happy!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! This is a ground breaking moment! :)**

**I also have a question. Did you guys hear that rumor about america planning to make a movie of their own about Death Note? To me it sounds like a cool idea, but it seems a little suspicious to me. But one of the rumors I heard is completely unacceptable. Can you believe they want Zac Effron to play Light? Even if they were to make a Death Note movie, it would fail miserably if they chose Zac to play Light! It would look horrible! Zac Effron is way too childlike and happy, and his Disney reputation would ruin everything!**

**If that's their idea of Light, can you imagine who they'd pick as L? They might just go and pick one of the Jonas Brothers! If they did, I'd get sick! (no offense to anyone reading this who likes Zac Effron or the Jonas brothers...)**

**But anyway, I doubt it would ever happen. The Japanese are the only ones who have done it so far, and to me, they chose a very good looking character to play L...maybe they can use him but voice over it with that guy who voices him in the English dubs.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter! :)**

**A Not-So-Happy Family Reunion**

Light Yagami, age twenty four, awoke slowly, his reddish brown eyes slowly opening. He blinked twice, before smiling, his lips pulling back in a wicked smile.

It has been four years after L's death, and Light had taken over his role as L. The world was oblivious to the change, and their love for Kira continued to grow. This information pleased Light to no end, and with each passing day his lust for power grew, slowly pushing him ever closer to insanity.

_I am the god of the new world, and no one can stand in my way! With L out of the way, I've now taken my rightful place above the world! I am justice, and I will pass righteous judgement on the wicked!!_

Light felt insane laughter bubble up in his throat, but he pushed it down, allowing his lips to pull back into a grin of enormous proportion. His eyes flashed red, and he felt his spirits soar.

He was about to climb out of bed when he heard a moan beside him, and Misa rolled over, her arm coming round to encircle him. She snuggled up against him, spooning herself against him and smiling.

Light stiffened, and he scowled, a look of distaste crossing his face. He stroked her hair briefly, before pulling away, pushing her off hastily. He jumped out of bed, spinning round to make sure she wasn't following him up.

Misa lay sprawled out across the bed, her head twisted at an odd angle. Her blond hair was fanned around her face, and the covers only covered her from the waist down, allowing her tiny breasts to be free to his view. A smile was painted across her face, and she murmured, his name riding on a breath.

Light looked away, and he walked to the bathroom, slipping out of his shirt and underwear on the way. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water, waiting for the water to arrive.

Water splashed onto his face, and he cried out, jumping back in shock. He tripped on the wet floor, falling to the tiles with a sickening crunch.

"Damn it!!" he growled, his hand coming up to his eyes. The water had been boiling, searing his skin mercilessly. The skin on his body where the water had made contact was red, the skin burnt painfully.

He heard a gasp from the room, and Misa ran into the bathroom, throwing the door wide open. Her blue eyes went wide, and she dropped to the floor next to him, a look of childish shock pasted across her face.

"Light! Oh my gosh, are you hurt!?" she asked, her high pitched voice rising with each word she spoke. She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but he slapped it away, scowling angrily.

"Misa! Did you leave the water on boiling last night?! What the hell were you thinking!?"

Misa looked up at the shower, her face containing that blank, unintelligent look. Then she shook her head, looking back at Light with hurt eyes.

"Aw Light, I never did that! I turned the thing on warm before I left! Scouts honour!"

Light gave a huff, and turned to glare at the shower. Steam was rolling out of it in waves, and he had no idea how he was going to turn the water off without cooking himself.

Misa sat with him for a minute, allowing the angered silence to wash over them. When the silence became too much she finally spoke, her voice soft and tentative.

"You're burnt...do you need me to fetch an ice pack for you? It'll make you feel better..."

Light looked up at her, and he pushed down his momentary anger, "Yes, that would be nice. Thank you Misa."

Misa immediately brightened up, glad to be of use to her beloved. She shot to her feet, and Light instantly regretted accepting the offer.

"It's a pleasure! Anything for you, Light!" she cheered, sugary happiness dripping off her words. She flashed him a dazzling smile before bouncing out the room, humming happily to herself.

Light rolled his eyes and tried to climb to his feet. He stood up, and let out a gasp, his hand going up to the back of his head. He'd hit his head badly on the tiles when he fell, and he was beginning to feel a throbbing pain at the back of his head.

He rubbed his scalp and brought his hand to his eyes, checking for blood. Thankfully there was none, and he sighed in relief, glad that there was one less thing to worry about.

Unfortunately for him, he had no idea how much he'd had on his plate to begin with. For Light Yagami, and for Kira, the day was going to become far worse; worse enough to make him wish he had been knocked out by the fall instead of receiving nothing more than a large bruise.

He grabbed his underwear and pulled them on, hiding his manhood from view just as Misa bounced in, holding up a blue ice pack.

"Here you go Light! This will make you feel all better!" she sang happily, thrusting the ice pack out to him.

Light sighed and took the ice pack, placing it on his chest tentatively. His skin instantly cooled down, and he sighed in relief.

"Feel better Light?" Misa asked, smiling at him cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Yes, thank you Misa...but if you don't mind I'd like to shower by myself."

Misa gave a pouty face, her eyes glistening with mock tears, "Aw, but I was looking forward to this...oh well, I'll get you next time!"

She danced to the door, but froze in the doorway. She turned slightly, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I don't see why you have to be such a prude. Besides, there isn't a single part of you I haven't seen yet!" she laughed, her eyes drifting down to his crotch. She giggled naughtily, and then danced out the room, closing the door before Light could make an angered remark.

Light scowled, and he made sure the door was locked tight, muttering angrily under his breath.

_Such a foolish woman. I can't wait to be rid of her! But for the time being I need her now more than anything. So I'll just have to endure her for a little while longer._

Light turned back to the shower, and he winced, not looking forward to going in there again. Then an idea struck him, and he grinned, his eyes twinkling devilishly.

"Ryuk! Come on out shinigami, I know you're there!"

There was a moment of silence, the silence broken only by the steady hiss of the shower, before Ryuk drifted into the bathroom, his twisted face grinning from ear to ear. The chains on his body jingled as he walked, and his eyes never blinked, the red pupils trained on Light.

"You screamed? Is something 'interesting' going on?"

Light smirked, and pointed at the shower, "Turn that water off for me. It's too hot for me to get in there."

Ryuk did a comic double take, a confused sound escaping him. He looked from the shower to Light and back again, before laughing dryly, obviously not taking Light seriously.

"What? You must be joking! You're really beginning to lose your touch."

Light shrugged, a menacing glint shining in his eyes, "Why would you think that? But anyway, all I'm asking is for you to do me a little favour...and think about it, there could be an apple in it for you. I'd say the odds are swinging in your favour, Ryuk."

Ryuk perked up at the mention of apples, and he smiled, his dagger-like, pointed teeth glinting in the light, "Oh well, since you put it that way you might have a point."

The shinigami stalked over to the shower, stepping into it effortlessly. The water went straight through him, leaving his blue tinted skin spotless. He reached over to the tap and pressed it down, switching off the shower and forcing the steady stream of water to die.

He stepped out the shower and drifted back to Light, looking completely bored.

"There, happy now? And you'd better keep up your side of the bargain. You don't want to make me angry."

Light laughed, the sound holding the slightest hint of mocking to it, "You wouldn't hurt me even if you wanted to. I'm providing you with too much entertainment. Isn't that why you gave the Death Note to me in the first place?"

Ryuk stared at Light, before growling, walking towards the wall.

"You have a point. Though, as I said earlier, you're losing your touch. Things are a lot more boring now that L's gone. I'm not having nearly as much fun as I used to."

Ryuk disappeared, and Light undressed, considering what Ryuk had just said. It stuck in his mind, making his thoughts race and his heartbeat sky rocket. He suddenly felt very jumpy, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.

He turned on the water, making sure to turn the water on lukewarm. He tested the water droplets with his hands before stepping in, letting the water claim him. It struck him as odd that the water would be boiling hot, even when the dial was on warm to begin with. Had someone tampered with his water system?

But he skipped over this thought, going straight back to Ryuk'c comment.

_Yes, things are not as entertaining with Ryusaki gone...I haven't come across a real challenge in ages...maybe things with get a bit more exciting in the near future._

What Light didn't know was that he'd be getting his wishes a little sooner than expected.

* * *

Light walked into the task room of his apartment, feeling in higher spirits. He was dressed in a dark grey business suite, a red tie standing out against his crisp white shirt, his hair freshly combed and his shoes gleaming. He walked over to the blinds and opened them slightly, allowing the room to remain hidden while still receiving warm, gentle rays of sunlight.

He switched on all the monitors, the computers and TVs humming into life. He smiled at the set up, looking around the large, rectangular room.

The room was well furnished, a sitting area set up in the middle, cream couches set around a neat glass coffee table. To the right there was the surveillance area, desk covered in computer monitors and keyboards, the walls littered with flashing TV screens. To the left of the room was the hallway leading to a row of closets and cupboards, the cupboards containing a large variety of undercover clothes and fake police badges. There was one draw assigned for guns, the draw locked tight for in case of emergencies. The only entrance into the room was through a passage in the wall, the entrance door hidden from view for the people who weren't standing directly in front of the opening in the wall. The wall opposite this was was made totally of glass, the windows covered by long, cream blinds.

A bell rang in the apartment, signalling the arrival of the first group of task force members. Light smiled but didn't move, instead deciding to wait for the familiar over excited cries of Misa as she rushed to the door, eager to answer it.

He didn't have to wait long, and soon the air was filled with Misa's cheery cries, greeting the men in turn. There was another load cry, this one answering the first, and Light winced, recognizing the voice of Matsuda.

Soon the unseen door in the passage behind him opened, and he turned around, watching the open passage in the centre of the wall. Soon Matsuda and Misa came into view, Misa dragging the man behind her.

"Light, look who's here!" Misa sang, standing proudly next to the bubbly detective. She was wearing a loose black shirt and pajama pants, indicating that she still wasn't completely prepared for the day ahead.

Matsuda smiled apologetically, lifting his shoulders in a slight shrug. Light smiled in return, giving him a knowing nod.

"Thanks Misa. Can you watch out for the rest of the task force?"

"Sure thing Light! I'll get right on it!"

Misa ran round the corner, disappearing from view. Mogi dodged to the side, coming into view for the first time. There was a bang as the door closed, and Mogi raised an eyebrow, joining Light and Matsuda.

"Hey Light! Mogi and I decided to show up earlier than usual! Hope you don't mind!" Matsuda laughed, taking a seat on the couch as they sat around the coffee table. No one dared to take the single chair opposite, the chair remaining as a testament to the friend lost four years ago.

"No problem. I was up early anyways. Any news from your end?"

"Not much at the moment. We haven't received news of new criminal deaths, but we could receive some later," Mogi replied, lounging on the couch as he sipped from an on-the-go cup of coffee.

"Damn. Won't this ever end?" Light cursed, adding on a thick layer of anger to his words.

"Well I guess that's what we're here for! We're the guys who're going to put Kira to justice!" Matsuda grinned, smiling proudly to the others as he placed his hands behind his head.

"I hope so. I'm not sure how much of this I can take anymore. Can you believe it's already been four years since Ryusaki died?" Mogi sighed, the memories flooding back to him.

A deathly silence fell over the room, the room's occupancies considers this latest piece of information.

But the silence was shattered as Misa charged into the room, dragging Mr. Yagami, Aizawa and Ide with her, the blond woman smiling from ear to ear.

"Light! I have some more guests for you!!" she laughed, smiling happily at the men as they took their places. Mr. Yagami smiled fondly at his son, and Light smiled back.

"Thank you Misa. Could you maybe get some drinks and snacks for the table?"

"Of course! I've got some things for you all in the kitchen! I'll be right back!"

Misa skipped to the door, but paused in the doorway, turning round to smile at her beloved.

"Don't go anywhere while I'm gone!" she sang, winking playfully at him before closing the door behind her.

She soon returned with a bowl over filling with crisps, the bowl balanced on one hand while the other held up a tray with glasses of juice perched precariously on the top. She tottered into the room, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she concentrated on balancing the food and keeping herself straight. There was one heart stopping moment when she nearly tripped up on a rug, but she regained her balance, her eyes wide with nerves.

Matsuda rushed to her side, relieving her of her burden. She smiled thankfully at him, digging her one free hand into the front of her shirt. Matsuda stared in shock as she pulled out a large packet of caramel bears, the purple packet reflecting the light.

They placed the food on the coffee counter, and the detectives thanked her for her hospitality, each one taking a glass of juice. Light was the only one who remained seated, ignoring the drinks.

"Aw, it's nothing guys! But I'd best be leaving you soon! I have to go shower! I'll see you all later!"

She finally left the room, and Light had to force down a sigh of relief.

His relief would be _very _short lived.

"The situation with Kira is getting way too out of hand. The world is beginning to take him into their favour. Even the police are beginning to bend to his judgement. The crime level has dropped dramatically, and...To be honest, no one can deny that life has improved because of his actions. It's becoming harder for us to work in these conditions!" Ide persisted, his face deadly serious, his voice layered with thick urgency.

"We have to make a stand! Doing what we're doing now isn't helping anything! We need to go out there and get more involved!!" Aizawa growled, clenching his fists dangerously.

"He's right son. At the moment things aren't looking very good for us," Mr. Yagami admitted, giving his son a pleading look.

Light sat back, thoughts rushing through his head. This sudden attack had taken him completely by surprise. It almost seemed as if they had planned this in advance.

_They want action. I've been keeping them bottled up here for too long. If I hold off the investigation for much longer, they may begin to get suspicious, maybe even considering that I'm _deliberately _holding off action for my own benefit...maybe I'm too late..._

"I agree. It was a mistake for us to leave things as is for this long. It's about time that we start searching and digging deeper into leads, maybe searching through past evidence. Unfortunately, we don't have all the evidence that we used to have, thanks to Watari's data deletion."

There was a murmur of agreement, before Aizawa stood to his feet, his eyes bright with the prospect of an idea.

"I just thought of something! There are so many things that we have that we can look back on! We can shift through the old stuff and find information that can lead us to new evidence!"

"Yeah, and we haven't discovered the full power of the notebook yet!" Matsuda added, looking around with fresh enthusiasm.

Light felt his heart skip a beat, a spear of panic slicing at his heart. He needed to stop that particular advance before it was too late.

"There's no point in testing it! All of you admitted it the day Ryusaki died. And besides, we've seen enough of it to know the book isn't a fake," he cut in, making his act more realistic by sounding slightly disappointed.

"But it's the only thing we have to work with! We have something to use against Kira now!" Mogi argued, sitting forwards in his seat to stare at the young detective.

Light sighed in exasperation, as if he were explaining something annoyingly simple for the tenth time, "If we'd want to test it properly, then one of us would have to use it on a criminal, and wouldn't that be sinking down to Kira's level? Isn't this exactly what L had wanted us to do so long ago?"

"What choice do we have?! We're treading on thin ice, Light, and we're running out of options! We can stick to shifting through evidence and searching through current investigation files, but that can only keep us busy for so long!" Aizawa growled, looking Light dead in the eye, not allowing anyone to back down.

Light could feel the wolves closing in on him, and he thought desperately, trying to find a way out of this disastrous situation. He came to a conclusion, and he didn't like it.

"We could take a look at the notebook again, but there's no guarantee that we'll get permission to use it. The world doesn't trust L as much as it used to, so getting permission from another country by approaching them as L isn't going to work very well."

The room went silent, and Aizawa fell back into his seat, crushed by this latest news.

"You may have a point there Light, but we still have to try. We can't just sit here and count the bodies as they come," his father said, giving Light a stern eye.

"I feel the exact same way! I most certainly don't enjoy this!" Light sighed, sitting back in his chair and resting his head in his hands, making himself look defenceless.

The room went silent once again, the task force members drifting into thought. They sat back in their chairs, staring at the drinks in their hands, not daring to look one another in the eye.

Suddenly, as if in unified thought, Aizawa, Mogi, Matsuda and Ide looked up meeting one another's eyes. Light never noticed, his head still in his hands, but his father did. The sight sent cold shivers down his spine.

The men looked at one another, and the same thought went through all of their heads.

_Things would be very different if Ryusaki were here...Light just doesn't seem to be making the cut. Things used to be confrontational, but now...now there's no action what so ever!_

They stared at one another, sensing that they each felt the same way. Strangely they all glanced at Matsuda, and the young detective's eyes widened, flinching away from the hard stares.

Suddenly, without warning, Light's head shot up. He cocked his head to the side, a frown creasing his brow.

The men looked at Light, curious as to the source of his bizarre behaviour.

"Light, what's wrong? Something seems to be bothering you," Mogi questioned, staring at Light's startled face.

"My phone," he replied, taking out his mobile phone. The light on the side was flashing wildly, the phones body vibrating in his hand, "The alarm's gone off!"

"What alarm? What are you talking about, son?" Mr. Yagami asked, his voice containing an undertone of urgency.

Light stared at the phone in shock, the little red piece of technology dancing in his palm. He gulped, looking up at the others, his eyes wide with confusion and disbelief.

"The alarm I connected to the apartment. If someone is trying to forcefully enter my home, the alarm on my phone goes off before the actual systems alarm does!"

The task force gasped, the colour draining from their faces. They looked around the room at one another, their faces twisted in disbelief.

"Who the hell would do that?" Aizawa shouted, his hand dropping down to rest on the handle of the gun strapped to his belt.

"Do you think the public have discovered where we are?!"

"Do you think it's K-?"

But Matsuda was cut off as the lights in the room turned red. The computer screens behind them began to flash, warnings dancing across the screen. An alarm pierced the air, a ringing sound alerting them, adding on the noise to the chaos.

Light jumped to his feet, running to the computers. He typed in a code as fast as he could, his eyes narrowed angrily.

"We've got to silence the alarms! The intruders have already made it in so we have to keep things down!" Light warned the rest of the detectives as they gathered around him, new weapons drawn. Each one had managed to get hold of a handgun, and they checked their clips, making sure they were fully loaded.

The alarms died, and the lights in the room returned to their original white colour.

Light sighed in relief, turning off the computers and screens for safety. He didn't fetch a gun for himself, deciding to take a more placid approach.

"What do we do now chief?" Matsuda asked, his eyes shifting towards the opening in the wall.

Mr. Yagami stood for a moment, surveying the room for weak spots and target areas. He decided on a layout of the room, imagining each person in their chosen positions as the enemies entered the room.

"Alright! Matsuda, you go to the corner on the top left, make sure to stand beside that potted plant. Aizawa, Ide, you two stand on either side of that opening. Do not look around the corner at any time. Mogi, you go to the corner here on the top right, the one next to that disk shelf. Light, you stay here at the monitors. I'll go to the bottom right corner. Everyone, make sure to remain out of sight at all times! The enemy could come in armed!"

"Yes sir!" they all called, running to their assigned positions. They pressed themselves against the walls, guns drawn and held tight in their determined fists. They nodded to one another before turning to watch the opening in the wall, waiting for the intruders to enter.

Soon they could hear the sound of footsteps coming down the passage outside, the footsteps surprisingly soft compared to the other steps that came from throughout the apartment. At one point a woman shouted, and the softer footsteps stopped, indicating that the intruder had stopped to silence the woman.

From what they could hear there was five of them, one a woman, the rest unknown. Aizawa scowled, growing impatient as the minutes ticked by.

Light on the other hand remained calm, thought's rushing through his head. This surprise attack had shaken him, but now he was thinking hurriedly, forming a plan of action.

_Misa! If she kills these intruders, it will become too obvious that she's the second Kira. No, she must remain where she is. Right now I just have to hope we can take them on by ourselves. Maybe this is the breakthrough I need! The rest of the task force will be concentration on the new suspects instead of on the notebook!_

Once again, he remembered that he didn't have a gun. Strangely enough, despite all the people he had killed, the thought of shooting someone seemed repulsing to him. Writing down a name knowing that person will die, and aiming a gun at someone and shooting that poor soul's brains out were completely different concepts.

But they both led to the same results; one more life taken away in a matter of seconds.

Light pushed the idea of using a gun away, and focused on the task at hand. Besides, if a shootout did break out, the others would fire their weapons first.

Silence filled the room like a cold blanket; the only sound audible was the sound of their breathing and their frantically beating hearts. The noise in the rest of the apartment had come to a stop, the apartment drifting into silence. No sound could be heard by their straining ears, and for a merciful second, they came to the conclusion that it had just been burglars after all.

Light prepared to stand up, when there was a sudden, wicked sounding click. Light dropped back, moving backwards fast enough to bang the table behind him, making him gasp as pain rushed up his spine.

The door in the passage opened, the door opening slowly, making a strange creaking sound that one thought only came out of horror movies. It was drawn out and loud, making Light wince and curse his own negligence.

The creaking stopped, and the sound of light footsteps could be heard. They stopped suddenly, making Aizawa and Ide grind their teeth together. Aizawa was so tempted to look, just to have one little peak. But he knew that if the enemy was armed, he'd end up without a head.

Suddenly, a voice called out, making each one of the detectives gasp.

"Put down your weapons. They're not necessary at the moment."

The voice was unmistakable. Light felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, a cold sweat beginning to break out all over his body. He began to shiver, his eyes going wide with horror.

_No, no, no! What the hell is happening!? There's no way...no it just isn't possible! It _can't _be him!!_

Matsuda was visibly shaking; his whole body trembling so hard the gun in his hands began to waver.

A young man of age twenty five stepped into view, coming into the visible spectrum as he stepped out of the opening in the wall. He had thick, messy black hair that seemed to stand on end, the raven black locks gleaming in the light. His skin was deathly pale, and he wore nothing but baggy, loose fitting blue jeans and a long sleeved white top, the small muscles on his arms standing out under the material. He was thin and lean, his back hunched as he slouched on the spot. Large, dead looking grey eyes looked about the room, shifting to stare at each task member. He buried his hands in his pockets, shifting slightly as his one bare foot scratched the other. Two deep black bags stood out under his eyes, indicating his lack of sleep. Despite of them, he looked strangely handsome, his strange appearance failing to ruin his looks.

Light gave a gasp, stepping back violently, his body falling on the table, crashing down on one of the monitors. Matsuda cried out in fear and shock, his eyes wide and his body shaking violently. Ide and Mogi jumped back from the man as if stung, their guns whipping round to aim at him.

But the man remained unperturbed by the reactions he received. He turned to look at Light, and his grey eyes met Light's brown-red ones. He stared at Light, not even blinking once.

"What's the matter Light? It looks like you've seen a ghost," L asked, staring intently at his long time friend and enemy.

Light felt his heart skip a beat, and his stomach twisted in horror, stomach acid rising in his throat. His chest felt compressed, and he began to shake, his face draining of blood. Beads of sweat broke out all over his body, and he felt the world crumble around him, his comfortable life crashing down on him. A scream clawed at his throat, despair and horror threatening to overwhelm him. From far off in the apartment he could hear the sound of Ryuk laughing wickedly, his loud, coarse laughter filling the air, making Light want to pull his hair out.

Matsuda stared at L, before slowly pushing away from the wall, his brown eyes gazing at the supposedly dead world's best detective.

"R-Ryusaki? Is that y-y-you?" he stammered, his one hand raised, as if to touch L, even though he was way out of his reach.

L turned to look at Matsuda, and a slight smile graced his lips, the corners of his lips lifting up slightly before turning down again, his expression turning blank once more.

"Yes, Matsuda. I'm here, and I'm alive, much to your obvious shock."

"How can we be sure!? You could be an impostor! L died four years ago!" Aizawa yelled his gun aimed straight at L's beating heart.

L's eyes drifted down to the gun, and he looked back up at Aizawa, his dark eyes serious.

"Be careful, NPA chief Shuichi Aizawa. No need to go waving a gun around. But I must warn you that shooting would be a very unwise move on your part," he murmured, just as two people stepped into the room. A man and a woman, the woman grinning from ear to ear, revealing sharp, vicious looking teeth. The man watched Aizawa closely, his eyes shining with an almost fatherly, protective light. Each one had a gun, the woman wielding a deadly looking pump action shotgun while the man held a WW1 Colt handgun in one hand, the gun trained on Aizawa.

Aizawa gasped and took a step back, more shocked by L's words than the two new arrivals. He stared at L, his eyes slowly widening in realization.

"Who...no, _what _are you?!" he murmured, his gun hand beginning to shake.

"I believe you already know who I am. You're just struggling to come to terms with it. Why don't we all sit down, and I can make things clear for all of you," L reassured, looking at each detective individually. His eyes lingered on Light for a few seconds longer, eyeing out the panicking man with serious, dark eyes.

The men looked at one another, before slowly moving towards the seats, sneaking glances at L continuously, staring at corner out of the corner of their eyes, as if he was a bizarre science experiment.

Light pushed away from the table, not bothering to correct or glance at the shattered computer monitor behind him. He tried to look as natural as the rest of them, trying not to look too horror struck.

_I can't look like I'm disappointed or angered. If I do, that will only strengthen his theory that I am Kira...that is, if this man is not an impostor._

Light turned to watch the two agents, and he took the time to take in their appearances.

The woman was about thirty three, slim and luxurious, wearing a short, tight fitting emerald green dress, the bottom extremely short, revealing a sinful amount of thigh. Her skin was pale, and her hair was short and spiky, cut into an orange bob. Her eyes were a shocking shade of green, her eyes sparkling mischievously, a dangerous, bloodthirsty grin spread across her face. Her long nails tapped the shotgun in her hands, as if teasing them, indicating her eagerness to take a shot with it.

The man was completely different. He was about thirty seven, his body pale and tall, his figure slim and strong. He had thick, long black hair that flowed down to his shoulders. He wore a handsome black suit, a grey silk shirt pocking out from beneath the blazer, a red tie standing out against the material. His eyes were kind and dark blue, the blue so intense it made you lose track of thought as you gazed into them. His expression was serious but thoughtful, a slight smile gracing his lips. He had pocketed his gun, sticking it back in his shoulder holster. His partner did not do the same, keeping her weapon trained on the detectives at all times.

L stepped forward as well, climbing into the seat that had once been made as a testament to his memory. He settled down onto his haunches, his rear resting in the seat, his knees pulled right up against him, his pale hands resting on his knees. The sight of him sitting made Light fight back a shiver, the sight causing countless memories to flash across his eyes.

L noticed the pack of caramel bears on the table, and he brightened up slightly, eyeing out the chocolate hungrily.

"May I?" he asked politely, pausing with his hand half way to the packet.

"Take what you want," Light replied, waving his hand nonchalantly towards the packet of chocolate treats.

L reached into the packet, taking out three plump chocolate bears. He turned one in his hand curiously, regarding it before stuffing it in his mouth, making a little sound of delight as he moved the caramel around on his tongue.

His two companions came to his side, the woman settling down on the arm of his chair, not even noticing when the edge of her dress snaked even further up her thigh. The man settled to the left of L, leaning slightly against the back of the chair.

L didn't seem too bothered by the woman, not even glancing at the amount of skin she'd just revealed right next to him. He remained focused on his two remaining chocolates, measuring them in each hand before taking a bite out of the lady bear, biting her head clean off, leaving her chocolate sundress behind. A long string of caramel stuck out of the headless dress, and L scooped it up with his finger, licking it off happily.

They sat in silence, watching the genius as he indulged himself. But Aizawa's patience only went so far, and his slim string of patience finally snapped.

"Are you just going to sit there stuffing your face all day, or are you going to start talking sense to us!?" he growled angrily, slamming a fist down on one knee just as L placed the last chocolate bear into his mouth.

The genius paused, regarding the man as if only just noticing him there. He chew on the bear before swallowing it, the loud sounds of his chews and moans dying away.

"I'm sorry. I must have drifted off for a second there."

Light was becoming more convinced by the second. This just felt _right_. This man was either the real thing, or a very good actor...no, not even an actor was this good. He'd have to be a genius himself to get the role spot on.

The man placed a laptop bag on the coffee table, taking out a large, state of the art silver Apple laptop. He placed it on the table and opened it, watching as the screen burst into life, the laptop starting up.

"I can see that you are all doubtful that I am who I say I am, and for good reason. Four years ago you watched me die in the throes of a heart attack.

"But, I can supply you with proof of my identity. On the day of my supposed death, November the fifth two-thousand and seven, I asked Watari to record the proceeding via a hidden camera. At the end of the video's running time, it was sent automatically to my new headquarters. This video has been saved, and I'd like to show it to you as proof of my title," he said seriously, typing out on the laptop all the while.

Suddenly all the screens in the room burst into life, the wide screen on the wall flashing into brilliant existence. A large play symbol sat dead in the middle of the screen, flashing blue. The famous L symbol stood behind it, the curving black letter standing out against the grey and white background. A small white curser moved across the screen before freezing over the play button, waiting obediently for the user to click the button.

The task force members stared at the screens in shock, before slowly turning to look at L. He was smiling slightly, his hand resting on the finger pad.

"As further proof of my identity, I linked my laptop to your system. It was nothing spectacular, since your security system was nothing to be proud of. I expected more from you, Light."

Light stared at him in awe, a spear of anger slicing through him. But his anger was short lived, as fear and horror reared its ugly head inside him. This was undeniable proof of his identity. L was back, and Light knew that he'd have much add to what he left off four years ago. To make matters worse, the fact that he had taken over L's position would help convince him that he was Kira. He himself had once admitted that if he took over L's position after his death, it would be ideal for Kira. Light was trapped in a corner, and he only had one thing to cling to.

_If he still believes in the thirteen day rule, then I'm safe...at least for the moment._

His thoughts were interrupted as L tapped his finger on the keyboard, pressing the play button. The screen went black, and the men leaned forwards in their seats, watching the screen intently.

The task room of L's old headquarters flashed into view, all the members standing in position around the computer screens. L and Light walked into the room, chaos breaking out soon after. They watched L fall, his limp body slowly dying, Light holding his dying friend in his arms.

The video ended as L was carried out by Mogi, the rest of the task force running off in search of L's killer. The screen went black, and the room fell into total silence.

Light turned to stare at L once more, totally convinced. It felt as if a lead ball had just dropped into his stomach.

L was gazing at the blank screen intently, one finger held slightly in between his lips. He pulled his lower lip down slightly in thought, his eyes alight.

Mr. Yagami was staring at L in amazement, his brown eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Ryusaki...it's really you! But how...?"

L blinked, and turned his head to the side slightly, looking at Mr. Yagami out of the corner of his eye. He took his finger out his mouth, keeping it just before his slightly parted lips.

"So you're convinced now? I'm delighted to hear it!" he replied, the corners of his mouth still turned down.

"But how did you do it!?" Matsuda asked, sitting on the edge of his seat, smiling like excited teenager, his eyes wide with admiration and wonder.

L glanced at Matsuda briefly, before placing his hands back on his knees, preparing to address the room.

"Let's see, where to begin? Well, I guess I could tell you, since we'll all be working together again soon."

A while before my supposed death, twenty three days to be exact, I wrote my name down in the Death Note-"

L was cut off mid sentence as each member gasped in shock, staring at him with looks of anger mixed with horror. Aizawa stood to his feet, his fists clenched into tight balls.

"Why would you do that? Didn't you even think about what you were doing?" he yelled angrily, making L turn to glare at him.

"If you'd all let me finish, I can get on with it. I hate having to repeat myself, and I detest interruptions. Please sit down, Mr. Aizawa, so I can continue my explanation," he warned, his dark eyes seeming to dig deep into the man's soul.

Aizawa took a step back, his face losing its anger. He sat down, coughing softly into his hand before apologizing.

"It's alright. I expected such a reaction. To answer your question, I thought about it to no end. I realized what it would mean for me if I wrote my name in the notebook, but it was something that needed to be done.

"After we obtained the Death Note, a disease began killing people all across the world. You probably all remember it. I was called and requested to begin working on the case. The case would require me to enter disease ridden villages, meaning my chances of catching the virus and dying before discovering a cure were high. I needed to make sure I needed to be assured that I wouldn't die of a disease, but of a heart attack."

They could all see where this was going, and Light felt like screaming in frustration. _He had been there_!! He was _there_ the day L wrote his name in the notebook. He had arrived just moments afterwards. How had he not seen it?

"As a result, I wrote my name in the notebook, specifying my death to take place in twenty three days time. I completed the case, and returned to you all successful. But, it had come with a sacrifice, and two days after my return, it was my time to die," L continued, pausing to grab a chocolate bear and eat it, sucking on the caramel, making loud, delighted sounds as he did so.

"But how did you survive? How did you cheat death?" Matsuda questioned, excited to learn more.

L swallowed the chocolate before continuing, licking his fingers nonchalantly as he spoke.

"On that day, I had organised a plan to provoke an attack on my person. I had devised a situation that would anger you and Kira alike. I was convinced that Kira would know of my plans because the shinigami we had in custody was working for him, and when he found out about my plan, he would force the shinigami to take action. If I made a move that would directly affect his plans, he would order the shinigami to kill me.

"So, I told you all that I was going to have someone executed with the notebook, testing it out and discovering which of the rules were fake. This naturally enraged all of you, just as I knew and hoped it would. In the confusion, I knew that the shinigami would make its move, writing Watari's name, then lastly, mine-"

"But how could you do such a thing!? Sacrificing Watari for your own n-"

"Do you think I wanted it to end like that?!" L growled for the first time, his eyes darkening in anger and sorrow, "I hoped that the shinigami would leave him, killing the most important target first. But his death could not be avoided, and we both knew that. It was Watari's choice to help me, and for that I am eternally grateful," he said, looking down at his hands as he hugged his knees, his thick black hair hanging around him as he hid himself away from view, closing his eyes. His hands began to tremble, but he stilled them, digging down into his iron core of determination. He opened his dark eyes and looked back up at the now silent detectives, his expression calm once again.

"But besides that, I asked Watari to send all the information to our new headquarters in Tokyo. I requested for him to make it appear as if he had deleted all the files, while in fact he had simply sent it to a new location. I didn't have the heart to leave you with nothing, so I made sure to leave some information behind for Light to hack into and use."

Things were coming together for all of them, and some where even guessing ahead. But Light had frozen up, his body language calm and intrigued while his insides churned and squirmed, twisting and making a rising wave of panic rear up inside him, compressing his chest. He could clearly see the outline of Ryuk in the shadows, the excited shinigami listening intently to L's explanations. Ryuk was continuously learning new things about his beloved Death Note, and hearing that there was an actual way to cheat death was exciting him to no end.

But Light looked away from the shinigami, turning to watch L as he went on with his explanation, the young man once again holding up a chocolate bear, playing with it unconsciously.

"After I announced my plan, Watari was killed with a sudden heart attack. He sent the information to our new headquarters, and it appeared to you all that the information had been deleted. I knew the shinigami was writing my name in the notebook, and I too had a heart attack. But, the heart attack I had specified hit next and, as I had planned, the two Death Note entries cancelling one another out. I came out of my first heart attack, but soon lost consciousness directly afterwards."

The men stared at him, their eyes wide with awe. Finally Matsuda broke the silence, smiling from ear to ear.

"That's incredible Ryusaki! Cheating death so effortlessly! You must have been terrified!"

"Yes, it was pretty nerve racking. But it was necessary, and I am glad to be alive right now."

Mogi was sitting in awed silence, till suddenly his eyes widened in realization. He sat forwards in his seat, staring at the man at L's side.

"I remember you! You're that FBI agent that I gave Ryusaki to! You said you had been called in to work on the case with L, and I asked if you could take his body down to the mortuary!"

L nodded, looking directly at Mogi, "Yes. He was asked to pick me up after my supposed death and to take me to Tokyo. I requested for them to place a fake body in my casket, so my death would be believable. The body used was the body of one of my enemies that I had fought against. He looked exactly like me in appearance, and he had died in prison of a mysterious heart attack. He too was killed by Kira, and because he looked like me, his DNA was never tested before the body was buried. I had requested for them to preserve his body for if a situation like this arose."

"Who was the criminal?" Aizawa asked, sitting forwards to hear. To know that there was a criminal who looked like L was quite something, and he was curious to hear of it.

L didn't look at his companions, but stared at the bear in his hands.

"His name was Rue Ryusaki. Or, as we all know him, he was nicknamed BB," L murmured, snapping the bear in half viciously as he said it, making Matsuda wince, " I used his name as a nickname because of our similarities, and because he is the only man to have ever out smarted me. I was assigned to capture him in the LA BB murder cases. Because he was a murderer, and he had no known relatives, I managed to gain approval to use him. Not to ignore his memory, I made sure his name was engraved in the tomb stone instead of some fake name. It's the least we could do for him. Along with that, it made sure people assumed L was still alive."

The members stared at L, shocked to hear what had just been said. The LA BB murder cases were historic murder cases, and to hear that the murderer was being used in this way was quite spectacular. In a way it didn't seem right, but each one of them remembered all the pain he had caused, so they didn't mention anything.

"So, that is why I am still here today. Now that that's over, I'd like to introduce you to our new task force members. Both of them assisted in my plan, for which I am grateful."

He waved a hand at the wicked looking red head, and she smiled, standing up. She swung the shotgun to her shoulder, resting it behind her head. She smiled sweetly at them, but all the men couldn't help but shiver.

"This lovely lady is Agent Julia. She has worked for the FBI for ten years, and is highly trained in every form of weapon or firearm. She will be joining the investigation from today," L introduced, looking up at the fearsome woman. Julia smirked before winking at them, grinning from ear to ear.

L turned to the man behind him, a slight smile gracing his lips, "This is Agent Michael. He is Julia's partner in the FBI, and has been working with them for fifteen years. He is highly trained in computer technology, and is well trained in the use of handguns. I worked with him on one of my previous cases, assisting him in an escape from a hotel. He and his partner will be working with us from her on out."

Michael smiled at the men, nodding to each one in turn before stepping over to stand next to Julia. The woman smiled at him and wrapped a hand around his waist, bumping his hip playfully.

L stared at them, and a blush flashed across Michael's face. He glared at Julia pointedly, and she smirked, twisting her hand into a middle finger and showing it to him. Michael rolled his eyes, giving L an apologetic glance.

L didn't seem too bothered, and he turned back to the task force, flashing them one of his signature smiles.

"These two will be replacing Watari in this investigation. I'm sure their talents will be most useful to us," he said, smiling wide enough to make the rest of them smile. His characteristic smile was broad and sweet, making him look younger than ever.

But Matsuda jumped up suddenly, realization striking him at full force.

"But Ryusaki, if you wrote your name in the notebook, you should be dead by now! Unless you killed people within thirteen days, you should have died!"

L's smile died, and he became deathly serious once more. He stared at the members seriously, building up the tension. But he suddenly turned to stare at Light, and the two of them went into a totally different view.

_Light and L were standing in a tunnel, a train track running beneath their feet. Lights flashed weakly over head, lighting the track between them. L stood meters away from Light, his hair and eyes blue in the darkness. He slumped were he stood, his hands buried in his pockets, his eyes deathly serious as he stared at his rival._

_Light was in far worse a state. His red hair blew by an unseen powerful wind, pushing him back and making him raise his hands to fight against the roaring winds. Noises screamed in his ears, and he narrowed his red eyes, fear and confusion bubbling inside him._

_But L remained still, his expression blank. With a rising sense of horror, Light realized the wind was coming _from _L. The genius was pressuring him, pushing him back._

"_The thirteen day rule is a fake. In the first thirteen days of my investigation, I never wrote down a single name. On the thirteenth day, I was left alive," L said, and Light's eyes widened in horror. An almost wicked looking smile crossed L's lips just as a bright, blinding light filled the tunnel, coming from directly behind Light._

_Light looked around, still fighting against the growing winds. A cry began to bubble up in his throat as he watched the light grow brighter, warning him of the approaching train._

"_This is proof that the rule is a fake. I'm living proof of that. As you can see, this cancels out some of the theories we had, and...It widens our suspect list once again," L said, staring at Light with a look of determination. The wind picked up even more, and Light cried out, his feet slipping back as L pushed him towards his death._

"_Light...you and Misa are once again under my suspicions. I'm sure you can see why. I'm so sorry to have to bring this all up again. But...I think that you could be Kira."_

_Light screamed as the trains horn blared through the air, the siren wailing, and he fell back, despite the fact that the light behind him died away, swallowing the two rivals up in darkness._

_If Light had listened closely to L's words, he would have seen that things weren't over. L's words rang in his head, and soon after he was swallowed up by darkness, realization dawned upon him._

_

* * *

_

_**There it is!! I hope you all like it! Hopefully the characters weren't too OOC!**_

_**Oh, and Michael looks like ****Reiji Namikawa from the Yotsuba Group, the guy who gets the phone call from Light pretending to be L. Michael just has a friendlier, more fatherly look about him.**_

_******Also, here's a warning. Julia does not like L, and vice versa. I have someone else in store for our dear hero, and you will meet her in the next chapter! ;)**_

_******Hope you all enjoyed this! I'll update ASAP!**_

_******Oh, and people, please review! I'd love to hear what you think! :) That green button won't bite you you know!**_

_******Bye bye for now!**_


	3. The Meeting of Two Powers

**Hey guys! As I've said before, I'm finding it much easier to write this story! These chapters just keep coming! I can't believe this is the third one already! :)**

**Oh I forgot to mention something important. The age of my main characters (Light and L) may be a bit off. You see, no matter how hard I've tried, I can never get a exact picture of how old L was before he 'died'. Many websites give me his date of birth, then his year of death, and tell me how old he was when he died. But they're just cancelling each other out because the dates give me a completely different age than what they just gave me. One of my calculations told me that he is 27 now, but I don't really like that theory (simply because I want L to be young in this story. Not that 27 isn't young, but hopefully you get the idea.)**

**So, based on the anime and my calculations (I didn't go with the manga cause then he would be older than 27), L is 25 years NOW, and was 22 when he 'died'.**

**Light was also hard to work out, because I could never get a straight answer. But I have calculated (and worked on the fact that he died at the age of 24), that in this time frame, he is 24. Yes yes, how can L possibly only be one year older than Light, but I always thought the two of them were in the same age group. Definitely not the same age, but close enough. Maybe a year or two difference. Whatever, the main point is that they are still fairly young, so I'm happy. ;)**

**Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**

**The Meeting of Two Powers**

Light stared at L, his red-brown eyes wide with confusion. L stared straight back, his grey eyes devoid of all emotion. Complete silence had fallen over the room, the task force members watching them with shocked faces.

"The thirteen day rule...is a fake?" Matsuda asked quietly, his voice barely audible. L blinked, and looked away from Light, turning to the rest of the men.

"Yes. I'm living proof of that. This leaves the case wide open for us now. So many new leads for us to follow. I have a feeling it will be quite overwhelming," he said, reaching out and grabbing one of the few chocolate bears from the packet, looking slightly disappointed as he did so. He played with it nonchalantly before biting it in half, sucking the caramel out of it hungrily.

"And you're saying you suspect my son again!? I thought we were over this!" Mr. Yagami shouted, standing to his feet hastily. Michael stepped closer to L, shooting a warning glare at Light's father.

But L remained as calm and nonchalant as ever, chewing on his chocolate bear as if nothing had happened. He swallowed and turned to Mr. Yagami, his eyes still devoid of all emotion.

"I believe you've misunderstood me. Please try to understand. I said he 'could' be Kira. It's been a while since I've been on this case, and I have to work on it for a little while longer before making any harsh decisions," he said, his voice sounding almost gentle.

Light stood to his feet as well, coming out of his momentary shock. He stared down at L, his eyes dark and serious.

"So you're saying that you still suspect me?"

"Yes, to an extent. I will be watching the two of you closely from this point onwards. The rule had kept you safe from my suspicions, but now...there is once again a seven percent chance that you, Light Yagami, are Kira."

Light nodded, not even arguing, "I guess nothing I say can change your mind now...but Ryusaki, if I'm going to be under surveillance again, we don't have to be handcuffed together again, right?"

"No, of course not. I don't believe such drastic measures will be needed at the moment. Michael and I shall be monitoring the situation from now on," he replied calmly. Light and his father exchanged a brief glance, his father's gaze filled with concern. But Light nodded, a slight smile on his lips. He took his seat, and Mr. Yagami sighed, taking his seat as well.

L smiled slightly, his expression calm. Despite this, suspicion curled and twisted inside him like a snake, making him press his fingertips into his knees.

_Light _must _be Kira, and Misa the second Kira. I have evidence to back this theory up...but something's not right. Something just doesn't fit._

His thoughts were disrupted as the door behind him slammed open with a crash. Misa charged into the room, her eyes wide, her hair dripping wet. She clutched a pink towel around her petite body, water still dripping off of her in large, transparent droplets. She left a long, wet trail of watery footprints behind her, marking her trail as she went. The men in the room gasped, each one cringing back in their seats as the woman charged head first into the group, ignoring her state of undress.

"Light!! Oh, I'm so sorry I never heard the alarm go off sooner! I didn't hear it clearly over the shower! I'm so sorry! Are the thieves in the apartment?! I never saw them on the way here!!"

Matsuda gave a cry of shock as Misa settled down in front of him, her upper thighs and the tops of her breast completely visible to him. His eyes widened in shock, his cheeks going red, his expression utterly comical.

"M-Misa! Your clothes!!!" Light cried over the uproar, standing up and grabbing her shoulders. The blond smiled up at him, her arms curled around the towel to keep it in place.

"It's alright Light! It's not like they haven't seen me like this before! I'm all over the TV these days with hardly anything on! And anyway, I'm sure they don't mind!"

But from the looks of things, they really _did _mind. Matsuda had become very interested in his shoes, his hands clamped over his head, his face blood red, staring at the spot in-between his feet as if his life depended on it.

L on the other hand didn't seem to mind at all. He cocked his head to the side slightly, staring at Misa's back, his dark grey eyes roving there. His expression remained as emotionless as ever, even though his pupils had shrunk slightly.

"My my, isn't this a surprise," he murmured, leaning forwards in his seat, his voice containing the slightest hint of mirth.

Michael looked away from Misa, picking at the chair upholstery in a almost bored manner. His face remained straight, but there was a very small smile on his lips, as if he were trying to contain his laughter.

Julia was not as subtle as her companions. She took one look at the pink bundle before her and began to laugh, her head thrown back. She began to laugh so hard tears streamed down her cheeks, her breaths coming in short gasps. The sound of her laughter made Michael jump, and he clamped a firm hand over her mouth, glaring at her.

Misa turned around, recognizing the voice. Her pale blue eyes fell on L, and they widened, sweats beginning to roll down her back.

"R-Ryusaki...?" she whispered, her eyes wide, her lower lip trembling.

Suddenly she screamed, grabbing hold of Light and clinging to him desperately. She pointed a shivering finger at L, her eyes wide with terror.

"Light!!!!!!!! It's a ghost! They exist! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screeched, making the men wince.

L seemed to be amused by this comment. He stood to his feet, climbing out the chair as he smiled at the terrified girl.

"I do believe you're mistaken Misa. I'm as alive as you are," he said, smiling at her calmly.

Misa gave another shriek, making the smile on his face fall away as quickly as it had appeared, making him wince this time. He cast a pleading glance at Light, his eyes containing a glimmer of distress.

"Light, please make Misa stop screaming now," he begged, his voice exhausted and pleading.

Light turned Misa in his hands, looking her in the eye seriously, "Misa, this _is_ Ryusaki. It turns out he didn't die as we had thought. Isn't that great!?"

Misa looked from L to Light, her eyes filled with confusion. As she watched L, her eyes drifted up, looking at something just above his head. Her eyes glowed red for a minute, indicating that she was looking for a name. But, to Light's surprise, the confusion in her eyes turned to horror. She blinked, and the red was gone, her eyes turning back to their normal blue hue. She shivered in Light's hands before putting on her confused act, hiding her shock and horror away from everyone.

Suddenly her eyes widened in realization, and she lunged forwards, clamping herself to L like a leech. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight, looking up into his shocked face with dazzling eyes and a wide, joyful smile.

"Ryusaki! Oh I'm so glad you're alive! I've missed you so much! So much has happened lately! Light and I have finally moved in together! Oh, this is like a dream come true!"

L looked completely taken aback, his eyes wider than ever, his iris and pupils shrinking in shock. His arms were raised above Misa, not touching her, his eyes glued to her as she hugged him, feeling her almost entirely naked body sitting flush against him.

"It's good to see you too Misa. I can see that you have been very busy since I last saw you," he replied, trying to keep his voice from trembling as he embraced her lightly.

Misa bounced away from him, her eyes twinkling like that of an excited toddler. She smiled up at him, standing slightly shorter than him despite the fact that she was older than him.

"Oh, I've been soooo busy! I had to arrange the decor in the apartment, and I have to be there for Light, not to mention all my TV and modelling productions!" she sang, momentarily forgetting her towel, causing it to slide down ever so slightly, making L take a small involuntary step back. She noticed this and fixed her towel hurriedly, flashing him a not-so reassuring smile.

"Oh, and Light still hasn't proposed to me yet," she added, pouting sadly, casting a pleading, pointed look Light's way.

"Really? That's terrible. You should really pay more attention to her, Light," L remarked, turning to stare at Light, his face turning characteristically blank. Light glared at him, the joke going straight over him.

"Well, I'm delighted to see that you still retain your boundless sense of humour, Light," L commented seriously, a not showing any hint of mirth. Michael and Matsuda coughed, smiles spreading across their faces at the witty remark.

Mr. Yagami smiled, before suddenly remembering something. He coughed loudly, regarding L with serious eyes.

"Ryusaki, we are all glad to have you back with us, but I have a question. Why did you choose _now_ to come back? You could have returned at any other time. What made this time so special?"

The room fell silent, waiting for L's reply. L turned away from Misa, his expression turning deadly serious. He settled back down in his seat, resting his hands on his knees. He looked up into the faces of the other task force members, his dead, dark grey eyes large and staring.

"You want to know? Well, since we _are _on the same side again, I think I could tell you...Michael, would you be so kind to bring up the file?"

"Of course, Ryusaki," Michael replied, moving to L's laptop. He began typing away at it, typing in specific passwords and searching through data. When he had found the file he stepped back, nodding to L to continue.

"Thank you Michael. You see, a few days ago I received a message from an unknown source. The file contained one video and nothing else. There were no traces of information or data that we could find that could help us trace it back to the sender. It was almost as if it had simply been left there. We sent it through a thorough data search, but unfortunately, all searches turned up negative. All we have to go on is one video," he stated, leaning forwards to open up a tab on his laptop. The screen behind them burst into life once more, the L symbol standing out against the white screen.

L clicked on a file, entering it and making it fill the screen. He sat back and watched, his silence indicating to the task force that they too should be watching.

The screen went grey, the grey seeming to shift as if alive. There was nothing special about it, since it appeared to be nothing more than a broken video.

Light opened his mouth to question L, but he fell silent, noticing something. A darker part on the screen was forming, becoming darker and coming into focus. A large old English K, the letter in the same font as L's, came into view, the letter grey and unmoving while the rest of the screen moved, as if it were made of grey water.

A voice shattered the silence, the voice low pitched and distorted, the words coming through a voice filter. The words uttered seemed harmless enough, but the message it held was all too clear.

"L...you are not alone."

The short video reached its conclusion, the screen dying and changing back to the menu screen. L didn't move to go out of it, his eyes downcast, his hands clutching his knees. His eyes appeared half lidded to the rest of them, but in reality he was staring at Light through his thick eyelashes, watching him intently.

_What will you make of this, Light Yagami? If you are Kira, this message could come as a shock to you...unless you ordered someone to send it...could there be _another _Kira? It's a startling possibility._

Light was still staring at the screen, his eyes wide. Thoughts raced through his head, the message repeating itself in his mind, the voice echoing. In another perspective his hair and eyes turned red, his face still frozen in shock and thought.

_I never sent that message! How could Misa and I have sent a message to someone we thought was dead? No, someone out there is toying with Ryusaki, maybe trying to be a copycat killer...or is that even the case? _He thought, his red eyes turning slowly to stare at L out of the corner of his eye, whose eyes and hair had turned blue. The genius looked up in his chair, his eyes returning to their usual grey colour. Light shook himself back to reality, turning to watch L, waiting for him to give them details.

L reached over and grabbed another bear, the packet barely containing any left. He picked it up and nibbled on it, his eyes remaining fixed on a spot just above Matsuda's head. The bubbly detective stared back, a sweat breaking out on his back, growing nervous as L stared blankly in his direction.

L swallowed, finally looking away from that certain spot. He turned to look each task force member in the eye, the blank stare he gave them making them all shiver internally.

"As you can see, I have a challenger to deal with. From the K in the background of the message, we can determine that the challenger in question could be Kira. But it doesn't seem right to me. Why would Kira choose now to send a message to me when the two of us have been working against each other for nearly five years? It just doesn't seem like Kira to me.

"Michael and I sent an adequate reply to this message, replying to it and making sure to leave no trace of our location in the message. It didn't take us long to receive a reply. This one was just as clean as the previous message, still containing no data traces or tracking material."

He returned to the keyboard and selected another file, clicking and entering it. They all turned to watch the screen carefully, their detective minds searching for slips and hidden messages.

Once again the screen turned grey, the grey swirling and moving as if a water bed lay beneath it. Soon the K came into view once more, and the low pitched voice spoke out, breaking the silence without a care.

"L. I suspect that you believe that I am Kira. In that suspicion, you are mistaken. I am not Kira...in fact; my sole goal in life is to lock him away from society. Do we not share a similar goal?

"I have some valuable information that I'd like to share with you, information that could lead us both closer to Kira. But, I will not share this information like this. I want us to meet each other face to face. Since Kira needs a name and a face to kill, I doubt either of us would be in much danger.

"I have provided you with a set of clues as to wear I will be. The time to meet me is seven thirty p.m on February the fourteenth, Sunday evening. I expect us both to remain unarmed. You may have as many agents on the premises as you wish. Please be so kind as to not disappoint me. Who knows what valuable information could be lost if you do."

The voice died away, and the K disappeared, being replaced with files and pages. A file was entered, and a page filled the screen, turning it white.

There were just two sentences on the page, the words barely taking up any space. The task force members read hurriedly, each one dumbfounded.

"A university degree in English could come in handy in Japan? White coffee tastes better than black coffee? What the hell?! This makes no sense! Fuck this!" Aizawa growled, swearing angrily as he glared at the two messages.

Light and L both looked at one another, their expression calm. Both of them seemed to be sharing the exact brain wave.

"Ryusaki, would you seriously meet these demands? Who knows who could be waiting for you there?!"

"Agreed. But I am curious as to who this person may be. From the information I could gather from the message, this person knows a lot about Kira, even knowing that Kira needs a name and a face to kill. I can also gather that this is no ordinary person. The fact that he could send a message to me is incredible enough, but the level of knowledge this person has is astounding to say the least. I'm interested to hear what information on Kira he has for us," L mused, pulling at his lower lip with one finger in thought.

"What, so your saying you're actually going to do this?!" Ide questioned his eyes wide with awe.

L remained silent for some time, deep in thought, mental calculations and theories running through his intelligent mind.

_If this person is Kira, then I'd be falling right into his hands...but it just doesn't seem like Kira would do something like this. It's too out of character. And the information this person has suggests that he could be a private investigator or a detective...maybe even a FBI agent. All this just doesn't add up. Should I go through with this? It would be foolish to ignore it, but dangerous to go through with it..._

He remained silent for a moment longer, before finally coming to a decision. He looked up at the men, his dark eyes turning hard and serious.

"I've decided to go through with this person's demands. The information could be of value to us. If this person is Kira, then I have a chance of dying tomorrow. But, if this person is not Kira, we could gain a powerful ally."

"But Ryusaki, that's insane! You could be killed!"

"Risking my life in situations like these are essential for the investigation! Being cowardly will never get us anywhere! I've had a near death experience once already, so no one should think that I don't know what I'm getting myself into."

The room fell silent, the detectives considering this. Then they all nodded, bowing to L's wishes grudgingly. None of them could deny that they wanted to learn more about this messenger, but they also didn't want to put L in danger the minute he got back. But they knew that L was not a child, and he was more than capable of making his own rational decisions, no matter how childish he was.

Matsuda sat in silence, excitement bubbling inside him. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, and he burst into action, grinning from ear to ear, his eyes bright and eager.

"Wow, this is going to be amazing! L making an appearance for the first time! You're so brave Ryusaki! It will be almost like you're a super secret agent or something!" he shouted in excitement, seeming to bounce up and down in his seat.

"Matsuda! Take this seriously! You're a detective, so act like one! This is no child's game!" Mr. Yagami growled angrily, glaring angrily at the detective. Matsuda stopped bouncing, flinching as if slapped. He clasped his hands together and hung his head sadly, his shoulder sagging.

"Yes chief, I'm sorry," he murmured weakly, sulking visibly.

"Ryusaki, even if you want to meet this person, how on earth can we possibly know where to meet him? These clues are ridiculous!" Ide stated, pointing at the two messages. L turned to the messages, not looking two concerned.

"It's not as ridiculous as it appears. In all actuality, it's quite simple. The first message, 'A university degree in English could come in handy in Japan,' shows us that the location is on a university campus in Japan. The English could mean that the university in question has a high level of English degrees and scholarships. The second message, 'White coffee tastes better than black coffee,' means that the location in question is a coffee shop or restaurant. The white and black could be hinting to the name of that coffee shop. It's all pretty simple if you look at it from the right perspective."

"Hey! That actually makes alot of sense!" Matsuda said his head coming back up, his eyes once again alight with excitement.

Light got up and rushed to his computers, switching them all back on. He went onto the Internet and searched hurriedly, shifting through websites and files of information.

"Hey, I've got something. The To-Oh University is renowned for its large number of English degrees handed out to outstanding pupils. That's the university Ryusaki and I went to when I was still in school!"

"Excellent Light, thank you. I suppose you know the necessary steps to take from here. Would you please look up all the coffee shops in that area?" L asked, standing to his feet and coming to stand over Light's shoulder, watching the screen intently.

Light scrolled down all the lists of coffee shops in the area, also searching through bars and restaurants. He came up with a bar not far from the campus, a resident hot spot for university students.

"I've got it! It's the Ying-Yang bar and coffee shop. That's the old coffee shop I was so fond of! You remember it, don't you Ryusaki?"

"Yes, of course! It all fits together perfectly. Michael, could you get me a layout of the floor and building plan? I'd also like to gain control of all the security cameras in the area. Could you get us permission for that?"

"Of course, I'll get right on it," he said, already taking out his mobile phone. He walked off to a corner of the room to talk, stepping as far from the group as possible so as to not be interrupted by the chatter.

Julia sighed and dropped onto the couch next to Matsuda, sighing as she put her shotgun next to her. She turned and smiled at the detective, making him blush, his own lips pulling back in a modest grin, his eyes closed, his one hand coming up to rub the back of his head nervously.

As Michael made his phone calls, L remained behind Light, watching as the younger man shifted through photos of the bar and coffee shop area. His eyes followed the photos, examining them carefully, his mind lost in thought.

_Could this person be a university student? It would make sense if he was...but how could he have possibly known I'd been to that coffee shop before. It's no coincidence that that was the shop chosen. A lucky guess? Highly unlikely...how much does this person know? It's disturbing how much he knows already..._

The website for the coffee shop came up; the top filled with the coffee shops Ying-Yang sign, the white and black circle in the centre. Pictures and dates advertised events, and there was a calendar on the side, dates circled in red and blue.

But what caught his interest was that the thirteenth of February was circled in red, a little heart underneath it. Light also noticed it and he clicked on the date, entering the link just before L requested it.

The screen turned red, the boarders of the screen full of hearts and roses. 'Valentine's Day Special' stood out in big pink letters, the sides of the note held in place by two little cupids. Pictures of the bar in valentines theme came up, couples sitting in booths sharing a romantic evening together.

"Valentine's day? Why on earth would the messenger choose Valentine's day to meet you?" Light asked suspiciously, turning to look up at L. The man in question didn't seem too perturbed, less interested with the significance of the date than of the floor plan itself.

"Whatever the reason, I will find out soon enough. Maybe he hopes for the shop to be busy when I come in, so there will be many people watching and more candidates to choose from. The actual anniversary is unimportant to me," he murmured, his one finger on his lower lip, examining the photos carefully.

Misa popped up next to them, her towel still clutched firmly around her. She leaned over Light's left shoulder, examining the screen curiously.

"Oh my gosh! It's Valentine's Day tomorrow! And I still need to get you a gift! We should go out shopping later, Light!"

"Not now Misa! Can't you see we're busy with something important?!"

"Oh no Light, it's fine. You're free to go with Misa. I must be leaving you all soon anyway. We have to organise for my return to our old headquarters here in the Kanto region."

Light looked up, his eyes wide, "You mean that building's still there, Ryusaki?"

L nodded, burying his hands in his pockets and shifting from one foot to the other, "Yes. It's been empty for the past few years that I've been gone, but I made it appear as if it were being used by a private company. It's been upgraded, and I added another basement floor and two more upper levels. But generally, it's the same as before, just with newer, state of the art technology. Michael, Julia and I are on our way to do a systems check. Once that's done, you can all organise your move to my headquarters. We no longer need to use your apartment. You can either stay here, or you can have your own private floor in my building. Each task force member has been designated his own private floor, so please, feel free to move in whenever you like," he replied, addressing the room nonchalantly.

The room's occupancy burst into excited chatter, and Matsuda punched the air in glee, glad to be returning to the famous L headquarters. The time that he had spent in his suite there had felt like heaven to the detective, and the idea of having his own floor made him giddy with excitement.

"This is amazing! I'm totally psyched up, chief! Let's all catch Kira together!"

"I agree, Matsuda. We look forward to working with you again, Ryusaki," Mr. Yagami said, smiling appreciatively at L. L nodded in return, turning to address Michael as he came up behind him.

"I got the files, and we have received approval to take over the cameras in the area around the meeting point. They're sending the files through now," Michael told the genius, grinning widely, proud of himself. L smiled gratefully, his expression warm while his eyes remained empty.

"Thank you Michael," he replied, before turning to the rest of the men, who had all stood to their feet, stepping closer to hear L's parting message, "I assume you all remember where task force headquarters is. Please be there at six so we can make the relevant preparations. You're all free to bring your stuff if you decide to move in...Oh, and Light, please bring Misa with you."

"What!? Why do I have to go!?" Misa replied haughtily, stepping up to L and looking up at him angrily, fists on hips, her lower lips jutting out.

"Yes, Ryusaki! Why do we have to drag Misa into this? You told us she was no longer important in this investigation," Light added on, looking and L with confused eyes.

L turned to look at them, his face going characteristically serious, "Yes, but that was before I left. Now, as I mentioned before, there is a seven percent chance that you and Misa are Kira, so I will be watching the two of you very closely from now on," he replied darkly, his grey eyes staring unblinkingly at the couple.

"What!!? No way, you _still _suspect me!? What is it going to take to make you believe me!? I'm _not_ the second Kira!" Misa shouted angrily, getting right up in his face, her eyes flashing childishly.

"When you can present me with some hard physical evidence, I will consider it. But for now, please stop shouting. I find it quite annoying," L said emotionlessly, staring down at the blond as she went silent, her eyes wide, jumping back as if stung.

Misa gave a growl of irritation, visibly sulking as she stalked off, her hands clamped on her pink towel. She stormed out the room, ignoring Matsuda sigh of obvious relief as she slammed the door behind her.

"Sorry for her behaviour, Ryusaki. I'm sure she didn't mean it," Light apologized quietly, mentally screaming at Misa for being so irrational.

"No really, it's fine. Misa is Misa, after all," L replied, burying his hands in his pockets, "Oh, on that note, will you and Misa be moving to task force headquarters? It would be quite comfortable there for you," he added, looking at Light curiously.

Light hesitated, knowing full well what was going on.

_He's trying to corner me, trapping me in his building where he can watch us twenty four seven. But I won't be won over that easily._

"It's a tempting offer Ryusaki. Misa and I really appreciate it. But you see, I've already paid this apartment off, and Misa's grown quite attached to the place. I think I'd prefer settling down here, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Feel free to move in and out of headquarters as you wish. But, if the need to move out of here does arrive, you are more than welcome there," L replied, seeming unperturbed by Light's decline. But inside his mind whirled, adding this denial to the list of evidence.

He turned to the rest of them, nodding in farewell, "I'll see you all tomorrow. I look forward to working with you once again. Come along Michael, Julia. We have some important business to take care of."

They walked to the door, Julia moaning and whining all the way, her voice rising as they neared the door, her hands playing with her shotgun.

"Aww, Ryusaki do we have to leave so soon? I thought we were going to have some fun today! I brought my best gun with me too!"

"Don't be ridiculous Julia! We came here to join forces, not try to murder one another!" Michael shouted angrily, making the woman punch him on the shoulder.

"No need to be so harsh, Mickey! That's no way to treat the love of your life! I should send you in for couple counselling! You have some serious fucking issues to sort out!"

"I'm the one with issues?! Says she who fucking waves a gun around!! And since when did you become the love of my life!?"

"When you fucked me to hell and back, you idiot! You'd think that would be the start of such a beautiful relationship such as this!! Ryusaki, don't you think I'm the love of his life?"

"I _really_ don't want to get involved in this conversation," L replied quietly, eyeing out the trigger-happy woman as she attacked her partner, the two of them arguing none stop as they left the apartment.

The task force members heard the woman's screams drift off into the distance, and they all sighed in relief.

As the task force members left soon after them, Light pulled Misa in their bedroom. He looked her straight in the eyes, his own red ones deadly serious.

"Misa, what I'm about to ask you is of the utmost importance. What was L's real name? You would have seen it earlier. If you can tell me, I'll love you forever," he murmured, his hands rubbing her shoulders soothingly. He knew he'd be shooting himself in the foot to kill L now, since that would only confirm the task force's suspicions, but he needed to know in

Misa blinked in shock, her face going chalky white. Tears began to stream down her cheeks, her whole body shaking. She bit her lip so hard that it was close enough to drawing blood.

Light stared at her in shock, before shaking her gently, his eyes growing worried.

"What is it Misa!? What did you see?!"

"N-Nothing! I couldn't see his name! It was so cloudy, and the name kept coming in and out of focus!! It wasn't natural!! I've never seen anything like it! I can't even remember it now! Oh Light I'm so sorry!"

Light felt the world begin to spin around him, his eyes growing wide. He stepped away from her, feeling as if he was about to get sick.

_L...what have you done?! What are you!? What happened to your name?!_

_

* * *

  
_

The day after L and Light's reunion, at precisely seven o'clock, the world's best detective sat in the all too familiar task room of his headquarters, his eyes wondering over the room, eyeing it out. The two glass staircases hung on either side of the room, framing the walls, light shining through their clear blue surfaces. The huge screen before him flashed and danced, words and statistics moving across the screen. The centre screen showed data and calculations, along with a map of the university campus. The rest of the screens were blank, signifying that the cameras in the area of the coffee shop weren't connected to his computers. The only computer they were attached to was L's laptop, the one he had used just the day before.

Strangely, this didn't bother the genius so much. Michael would be coming with him, posing as an unimportant businessman taking a break in the coffee shop to check his shares. Julia would drop him off at the location, then drive around the block before parking the car a short distance away so as to watch the entrance, warning them before hand of any snipers or watchmen.

The two partners in question were sitting on a couch beneath the left staircase, Julia resting against him while Michael typed away at his computer. Despite their calm appearances, the two were jesting mercilessly, Julia giggling while Michael lectured her, the woman obviously not taking anything he said seriously.

Meanwhile, the task force members sat around him, Light sitting at the opposite end of the table, typing away at his laptop. Aizawa, Mogi, Matsuda, Ida sat on the white couches beneath the right staircase, Mr. Yagami leaning against the wall close by. All of them remained silent, watching L intently.

Misa on the other hand could not remain silent for long, sulking against the wall near Light. She gave a moan, then pushed herself off the wall, placing her hands childishly on her hips.

"This is so boring! Why do _I _have to sit here and watch Ryusaki prepare for his date?! Light and I should be going out on a romantic dinner by now!" she shouted angrily, making everyone jump. Julia burst into laughter, giggling at Misa's comment.

L stopped staring at the screen, and he turned to look at the enraged woman, his eyes dull and nonchalant.

"It's not my fault you and Light haven't made plans. You could be making full use of the facilities here. And by the way, I am not going on a date."

"What?! I'm not going on a date with Light here, not with all these cameras watching! And why would you think that? Of course you're going on a date! Whoever sent you those messages was obviously a woman! No man would ever make an appointment to meet someone on Valentine's Day if it wasn't for a _special _reason...but, if it _is _a man, then we can _really_ see what side of the fence you're on, Ryusaki!" she replied naughtily, her scowl disappearing and becoming replaced with a wicked grin.

"This meeting is strictly meant for the Kira investigation. The date is of little or no importance. And to argue with that last comment, I can assure you that I am not a homosexual," he said, his patience slowly beginning to wear thin.

"Whatever, I just know that this is a woman. You'd better take some protection with you Ryusaki! You don't know what types of dangers lurk out there!" Misa laughed wickedly, raising and wagging a finger at him.

"Light, _please _make her stop," L begged, turning to look at Light pleadingly.

"Misa that's enough! This is serious! Stop messing around!" Light warned angrily, making the blond sulk. She stalked over to Mogi and Matsuda and plopped herself down in between them, her lower lip jutting out in an angry pout. Matsuda grimaced nervously, his eyes closing and his hand rubbing the back of his head.

L made a low groan in his throat, standing to his feet. He walked over to Michael, leaning over his shoulder to take a look at his work.

"How are the preparations coming along?"

"They're finished. We can leave shortly, Ryusaki," he replied, closing the laptop and standing to his feet. Julia jumped up and grabbed her shotgun out from under the couch, smiling happily. She was wearing jeans and a black corset top, her breasts bulging out the top of it. She dug a hand into her pocket, pulling out a set of car keys. She dangled them before her, grinning in excitement.

"Excellent. Julia and I shall leave first. Michael, you enter the shop just five minutes after I've arrived at the location. Make sure you sit in an area where you can watch us and the entrance. You understand?"

"Yes sir," both agents replied, both of them turning deadly serious.

"Good. Light, would you mind staying here till I get back? I'm sure you can all find something to keep you busy."

"Hey wait a minute! Are you just going to leave us here and expect us to just sit around?! How are we supposed to know what's happening!?" Aizawa shouted his eyes wide with disbelief.

"If I involved all of you it would look too suspicious. You will just have to stay here and wait for our return. I'll give you all the details then," he replied, already walking out the door. As the door was about to close, Misa shouted out one last parting joke.

"Enjoy your date Ryusaki! I'll have my fingers crossed for you!"

The door closed, but the sound of Julia's hoots of laughter could still be heard as the trio made their way to the parking lot, the place where they had joined up so long ago.

* * *

L and Julia sat in L's Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 63 AMG, the sleek silver coupe parked in front of the chosen location. L sat in the back seat, double checking items and going over his plans and defences. Julia watched him carefully, her body turned in the right driver's seat, her green eyes sparkling wickedly.

"How much faith do you have in this person? Do you think he'll actually show up?" she asked, resting her arm on the seat.

"My faith is limited, but then again no matter how low the chances, it is still there. I'm going to do this even if the chance is one percent."

"Are you that determined? It's almost as if you want this to happen."

"I _do _want this to happen. I need more evidence to support my theory. The Death Note is not enough to convict someone, and it isn't a strong enough lead at the moment," he replied, looking up into her eyes. The trigger happy FBI agent stared into those grey orbs for what felt like a lifetime, memories of the previous years they had all spent together flashing across her eyes

One memory stood out in particular, one that made her eyes sting. It began to play out before her, L's eyes fading into the black.

_***FLASHBACK***_

_Rain poured down from the heavens, soaking the world in icy raindrops. The water fell down so fast and thick that everything just became a blur of lines, droplets bouncing off the hard tarmac in a misty dance. The clouds hung pregnant and grey overhead, white light flashing across their bellies as lightning was born deep inside them, the electric tridents stabbing the ground in the far distance._

_A figure sat huddled in the dirt of an abandoned warehouse, the rain falling through a gaping hole in the ceiling, drenching the sobbing figure in icy water._

_The figure was that of a woman, her short spiky orange bob cut dripping wet, clinging to her face. Tears leaked from her once fiery green eyes, the hot tears stinging her cold skin. She clenched her fists and sobbed all the harder, crying out, the sound of her screams echoing through the warehouse._

_A body lay just a meter away from her, its dead eyes staring up at the grey sky, raindrops falling to its drawn out face. A knife lay in its hand, the hilt clamped in the corpse's death grip. His body was littered with fist sized holes, blood still gushing freely from them. The weapon used to kill him lay a bit away from Julia, the shotgun barrel steaming from the contact with the cold rain._

_The body was that of the Crucifix Killer, the name given to him by L. The serial killer was notorious for crucifying his victims, pinning them to the wall while they were still alive. He'd torture them for a while, carving them up horrifically before slicing their throats, letting them bleed to death, their blood making horrid trails on the ground and walls._

_The killers name was Kevin Solomon. L and his team had been working on the case for nearly two and a half months, counting the bodies and piecing together the evidence. Finally they had put all the pieces together, making a horrifying picture that made their blood run cold. Only a predatory, sexual serial killer would do something this atrocious. It made Julia want to kill him again and again._

_She sobbed, her hand reaching down to feel the jagged wound at her side. She had been sliced on her side, the knife digging into her flesh like she was nothing more than hot butter. She could still feel it burning, searing her flesh, making her want to scream._

_The sliding door to the warehouse opened behind her, and she heard soft footsteps come up behind her, shoes splashing through the puddles. She didn't look behind her, knowing full well who it really was._

_She felt a pair of hands grab her gently, and she was turned over, the handler making sure to keep her wounded side off the ground, freeing it of pressure. She was lifted up into someone's lap, cool hands holding her gently._

_Julia looked up into L's face, tears still streaming down her cheeks. L stared down at her, his eyes widening in shock._

"_Julia, you're hurt. You must come with us. It's all over now," he murmured soothingly, nodding his head towards the corpse._

"_No...I can't leave...the girl..."_

_She pointed a limp finger towards the far wall, and L turned to look, his throat clenching with disgust._

_The far wall was painted with bloody letters, the red words standing out against the rusting steel. The body of a young woman hung there just above the words, her naked flesh pale and swollen, her breasts scarred, her abdomen slashed. Blood leaked lazily from her neck, making a red spider web trail down her naked body._

_But the words below her were the most sickening of all, making L grind his teeth together._

In The Name of All That is Holy.

"_There's nothing we can do for her," he murmured sadly, looking down at Julia with emotionless eyes._

"_That bastard...he killed her..."_

"_I know."_

"_Ryusaki...I want the world to change...It just can't be like this!" she pleaded, as if he could do what she wished. She clutched his shirt, nearly ripping it with the force of her grip._

"_I know you do. So do I...but killing is not the answer. If everyone could change the world by killing, there would be no humanity left in this world. We can all change the world together, putting criminals to justice...but we are not God. No one, not us, not Kevin, not Kira; no one can decide who deserves to die," L murmured, looking up at the grey sky over head, is eyes just as dark as the clouds. Julia looked at the man she had just killed, and she sobs quietly, shivering uncontrollably._

"_My want to kill him again and again...is that wrong?"_

"_No...It's something called rage. It's something that makes you human. But it also makes us closer to animals than we would have liked."_

"_If that's so...then we are truly disgusting...do you feel rage, Ryusaki?"_

_There was a long pause, L staring up at the sky, raindrops falling to his face, drenching his messy black hair, making the long black strands stick to his pale face. Julia looked up at him, waiting patiently for his answer._

"_Yes...Yes I do..."_

_***FLASHBACK END***_

Julia snapped out of her memory with a jolt, and a grin spread across her pretty face.

"Well if you're so eager, get out the fucking car! You haven't got all night!"

"Do you always have to swear like that?" L asked quietly, opening his door and preparing to climb out.

"Fuck yeah! Now get out the car!! I have to go park my ass off in front of that doughnut shop!"

L got out, not even getting the door closed fast enough as the silver Mercedes shot off, moving towards the traffic light. It waited impatiently for the light to turn green before shooting off again, disappearing around the corner.

L sighed, burying his hands in his pockets. He looked up at the Ying Yang sign before walking towards the entrance, his expression as blank as ever, hiding the thoughts racing through his head.

L walked into the Ying Yang coffee shop, his eyes immediately roaming over the faces inside. His dark eyes paused on each face briefly, taking each person's measure.

The place was more of a restaurant than a coffee shop, the floor littered with clean, gleaming tables, the booths clean and homely. The light was dimmed to set the mood, lights shining dimly over each booth, giving off a warm yellow glow. The restaurant was warm and homey, making what costumers there were feel safe and at home.

Despite the date, the restaurant was fairly empty, only a few costumers sitting at their tables. Three young men sat at the bar to his right, leaning over the polished oak table, grinning at the young barmaid. A middle aged waitress stood by the kitchen door, watching the costumers with an almost motherly eye. She caught his eyes and smiled warmly, showing no hint of disappointment for the lack of costumers.

Besides them, there was also a young couple sitting in a booth in the corner, the young girl laughing and giggling at her date's jokes. L watched them for a moment before moving on, searching for the booth that he and Light had sat at once before.

He found it easily enough. The booth was secluded and out of sight from the door, the area quite. Light had once told him that this was the best place to sit at and have a private conversation

, since no one could hear the conversation in that area.

He climbed into the seat easily, settling down on his haunches. It was the same seat he had sat in a few years ago, the day he had introduced himself to Light.

L looked around the dimly lit area, looking for cameras.

He spotted one not too far away, the camera pointing around the corner, obviously watching the entrance. He knew Michael would be taking advantage of that one, and he smiled slightly; glad to have the man on his side.

The waitress from earlier came up to his table, smiling at him. She was wearing a simple red shirt and jeans, and her long brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, her hair tumbling down her back. Her motherly light blue eyes twinkled at him in a friendly manner, and her smile widened, revealing a dimple on her right cheek.

"Is there anything I can get you sir?" she asked, bowing slightly.

"Do you have strawberry milkshakes?" he asked, looking up at her, his hands resting calmly upon his knees. She didn't seem bothered by his odd sitting position, not minding it at all.

"Of course! I'll get one for you right away," she replied happily, winking at him as she hurried off to place the order.

L settle down to read, taking out a small book and holding out before him, holding it with one hand, clasping the book oddly, using only his thumb and forefinger. As he read, his eyes roamed over the restaurant, feeling the time ticking away, drawing him ever closer to the meeting time.

A few minutes later the door to the restraint opened, the sound of the city shattering the comfortable chatter that had fallen over the restaurant. L's eyes drifted to the booth up the aisle, waiting for Michael to take his place there.

The FBI agent came into view, dressed smartly in a business suit. He sat down and unzipped the laptop bag, taking out L's silver laptop and placing it on the table. He opened it up and began to type, appearing to be checking his shares in various companies.

The brunette waitress from earlier dropped off his strawberry milkshake, the tall glass brimming with sweet pink milk and strawberry ice cream, bits of the delicious berry floating in the mix. Two succulent strawberries were placed on the top, the red fruits coated with pink cream at the bottom.

He nodded in thanks, taking one strawberry and licking it clean, savouring the sweet taste. But it wasn't sweet enough, making him pull a face before reaching out and pouring three heaps of sugar into the milkshake, making it sweet enough to make any normal person sick.

He popped the strawberry in his mouth before picking up his spoon, beginning to eat the ice cream happily, making little slurping and moaning noises. The extra sugar had done the trick, and he savored the taste, the ice cream melting on his tongue.

The waitress came up to Michael, and L watched him order coffee. As the waitress walked off, Michael focused on the screen, his eyes suddenly widening as he touched his ear tentatively.

Suddenly, he brought his hand down to his side, just within L's line of sight, and spread two fingers, hiding the other three, giving him the universal hand signal for two. L lowered his chin slightly in a minuscule nod, his eyes drifting in the direction of the door.

The door opened, and two freshmen walked in, both of them chattering. The boy had his arm wrapped around the girl, and they took a seat at the bar, smiling lovingly at one another. The three older men barely glanced at them before turning back to the harassed barmaid, the men eager to take her home with them. L found none of them suspicious, deciding that they were nothing more than a couple touring the town.

L pushed down a growl, looking up at the wall clock. The long hand was just millimetres away from the six, the short hand resting in between seven and eight. Just a minute was all that separated now and the meeting time.

_Surely he would arrive now...would he be late for a time that he specified himself? Maybe it's a test of loyalty..._

He looked back at his book, his one eye watching Michael through his eyelashes. The FBI agent had received his coffee and was sipping at it, watching the screen without blinking.

Michael placed the coffee cup back on the table, and to L's shock, he moved his hand down again, hiding his four fingers, one finger visible.

"One" he mouthed, not even making a sound.

Then, just as the long hand landed on the six, the door opened. L caught his breath, watching the glass door out of the corner of his eye.

A young woman came into view, stepping into the warm glow of the light. She looked around, gnawing at her lower lip, not looking at the customers. She walked up to the motherly waitress and asked her a question, smiling apologetically. The waitress shook her head kindly, pointing in L's direction and then pointing around the corner, giving her directions.

The young woman nodded her thanks, and she hurried up the short flight of stairs. The heels of her shoes made a clicking noise as she walked, and she came past L, her one hand brushing along the opposite wall.

L watched her out of the corner of his eyes, and he turned, seeing her disappear into the women's bathroom.

L's eyes lingered on the closed door, the image of the woman lingering before his eyes. She was certainly attractive, he couldn't deny that. He was a man after all, and the sight of the woman had left his heart beating just a little bit faster.

But she was not who he had come to see, and he looked back at the clock, feeling his heart sink a little lower in his chest.

The long hand was drifting away from the six, the seconds ticking by. Michael was also looking concerned, his eyes still fixed to the screen of his laptop, watching through the cameras and listening to Julia's report at the same time, covering his mouth with his hand each time he spoke to her.

_What is going on here? Is this a test? Is he going to arrive late so as to surprise me? Or...am I simply falling into his trap by being here now? This is not good._

L dug a hand into his jean pocket, sipping absentmindedly at his milkshake. He felt the earpiece in between his fingers, and he took it out, holding up the little black earphone to the light.

He stuck it in his ear, and he was immediately greeted by the chattering voice of Julia, the woman talking to her partner and lover. Unfortunately, she was saying something which L would rather have preferred to not hear at the time.

"Mickey come on! Sex on top is _so_ much better! I'm tired of always being the one on the bottom! If I _have _to be on the bottom, can't it be in one of the positions that you're kneeling on the edge of the bed? Those are the most comfortable! I'm so tired of being squashed!! How about one of those nice wall positions that we always hear about in those foxy romance novels?!"

"Julia! This is not the right place and time for this!" Michael growled, whispering and covering his mouth as he did so, making it look like he was coughing. L's eyebrows raised slightly, shocked to hear this type of conversation.

"Oh come now! I've been reading one of those couple therapy books, and it says that communication is very important in a relationship! How are we supposed to get anywhere if you keep shooting me down like this!?" she shouted angrily, a slight pout in her voice. L winced, the woman's load voice almost shattering his eardrum.

"Why the hell do we need couple therapy!? And I'm not shooting you down; I'm just saying that now is not the right time for this!"

"I'm terribly sorry to break up this happy conversation, but we have a problem," L interrupted before Julia could shout back, his emotionless voice breaking through the happy couple's argument.

Silence fell over the two partners, neither one of them even daring to breath. L saw Michael blush shamefully, the FBI agent slumping, ashamed to discover that L had heard their whole conversation.

"This is a serious situation. There is a strong possibility that we have been tricked. Julia, scout the area. Look out for any spies or snipers. Take no chances. Michael, we have to look at each and every customer carefully. If I'm right, then one of them is the messenger from before."

"Yes, Ryusaki. I'll get right on it," Julia replied seriously, before cutting off, breaking out of the connection.

Michael also left him, and L returned to his book, his eyes beginning to wonder around the restaurant once more.

_Where are you...who are you?_

The bathroom door behind him opened, and he heard light footsteps coming down the corridor. They stopped suddenly, and to his surprise and shock, a pale hand dropped down to the table, alerting him, the person trying to gain his attention with a rap on the table.

L's eyes widened, and they began to drift to the side, going up to see this person out of the corner of his eyes. As they took in the person standing there they dilated, his black pupils growing smaller in shock.

The beautiful young woman who had walked past him earlier stood before him, a smile spreading across her pale face. A pair of golden yellow eyes twinkled at him, her gold eyes meeting his grey ones.

"Hello...L," she murmured, smiling lopsidedly at him in triumph, the one corner of her mouth lifting up in a victorious smirk.

L stared at her in shock, thoughts and whispers shooting through his mind, debating with himself. But one thought stood out amongst the rest, almost seeming to laugh wickedly at him.

_Misa was right...she _is _a woman...How could I have looked over it!?_

_

* * *

_

**Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE this part!!!! I'm so proud of my OC character! I even have a whole past planned out for her! Just so you all know, this woman has a very deep and fascinating history! This story is going to have a few chapters dedicated to L and my OC's past, so get excited!! :)**

**I'm sorry I didn't put in her description, but I just had to add a nice little cliff hanger to the story (laughs insanely while jumps back, falling off a cliff into the abyss below)! You'll see her fully in the next chapter!**

**Well, I can't wait to update! Please review this story!! I'm desperately looking for more reviews! I've seen some people who say they won't update till they get a certain amount of reviews, but I don't like doing that. It just seems mean to me. So people, please don't make me have to do that! Just do it out of your own! I'm not going to do that whole gushy 'Look deep within your heart' thing, cause that's just desperate. Lol ;)**

**See you all next time! I'll update ASAP!**

**Bye bye (for now)! :P**


	4. Bizarre Encounters

**Hey guys!! Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I've been really busy! And this chapter just refused to come (mainly because Death Note stopped playing on my TV station, and L began to drift further and further away, and I was finding it hard to keep L in character. But thanks to a new pen pal of mine, I got to watch three fabulous Death note episodes, and I finally got L back!)! But I've finally done it, and I must say it is shorter than the others, but hell, it's still longer than most! Just the way I like it!**

**I just want to send a special shout out to my two best friends! Flossi, Manga, I love you guys to death! I miss you tons! Oh, and Floss, do me a favor...ANSWER YOUR FUCKING PHONE!! That goes to you too Manga! lol**

**Anyway, I sincerely hope you guys love this chapter! Who is this mysterious woman that L has just come to meet? Well you'll all find out now (shit that felt so cliched, it sounds like a soup opera! Next thing you know Michael will turn to L and say, "L, I am your father." 0_0 Oh sweet Lord, I'll make sure THAT never happens!! Not while I still draw breath)!**

**Hope you all love the OC! :D**

**Bizarre Encounters**

L stared at the woman out of the corner of his eye, his pupils still shrunk in shock. His grey eyes became hooked by her gold ones, her eyes captivating him. They almost seemed to sparkle in the light, little golden stars dancing on the surface.

The woman could only smirk at his shocked reaction. She flashed him a cheery, triumphant smile, spreading her arms slightly.

"Are you simply going to gape, or will you have the courtesy of greeting me?"

The world's best detective ignored the question, lowering his book to take a closer look at her, taking note of her appearance for the first time.

Her skin was pale and smooth, and her teeth were pearly white and sharp, forming a magnificent smile that would make any celebrity jealous. Her hair clashed mercilessly with her gold eyes, her hair long and jet black, tumbling down her shoulders and reaching her lower back. Her body was curvy and long, her breasts large and appealing, seeming to suit her curves nicely.

Her outfit was the last thing he would have expected. She wore a white tank top, the material running around her shoulders clipped with what appeared to be a diamond buckle on each shoulder. She wore a short black pleated miniskirt, her pale thighs bare, along with a pair of black knee high high-heel boots. A black mini jacket adorned her shoulders, only covering her upper arms and back, the buttons undone to allow her ample breasts room. A blue ribbon clung to her smooth neck, forming an almost royal dog collar. Over her shoulder hung a black handbag, the bag only large enough for a phone and wallet.

Her appearance was enough to send anyone's breath away. But the detective hid his awe well, watching as she settled down in the seat opposite him.

She sat down with a comfortable sigh, folding her pale arms on the table and slumping slightly. She had stopped smiling, her gold eyes watching him intently, taking every bit of him in hungrily. His strange appearance did not seem to disturb her or throw her off. On the contrary, she seemed intrigued by his position, her eyes roving over him, taking in every last detail with the thoroughness of a mortuary doctor going over a corpse. To him, it certainly felt that way.

Finally, he decided to break the silence. He considered trying to slither out of the situation, denying his identity. But he already knew the idea was futile. Everything pointed towards this woman, and strangely, he wanted to know more about the woman before him. Her nature had begun to intrigue him to no end.

"K. I must admit I'm surprised. The ingeniousness of this meeting has left me stunned. I believe I should congratulate you," he said, leaning forwards and wolfing down a heaping spoon of strawberry ice cream, his eyes not looking at her directly.

The woman gasped, her eyes widening slightly. She stared at him in wonder, a smile spreading across her beautiful face.

"You want to _congratulate _me? Now there's a shock. I half expected you to bite my head off for what I've done," she grinned, moving her hand up to cup her chin, "Should I be worried? I did advise you not to bring any weapons. Would you be so bold as to shoot me in the middle of a public place?"

"Bite your head off? That does not sound too tempting...but on that last note, I'm not so foolish as to take you out in public. On the contrary, I have no intention of killing you."

The woman known as K titled her head to one side comically, letting her eyes widen and her lips pout girlishly, "Really? So you're not even going to hurt me a little bit? Oh what a shame!"

L tried to ignore the sexual innuendo in her teasing. He had a feeling she and Julia would get on just fine. But strangely, he felt that she was acting, bidding her time before getting down to the point.

_This most certainly won't do._

"What is the purpose of this meeting, Ms. K? Explain yourself."

K's smile disappeared, and she sat up straight, her smile melting away slowly.

"So I guess you want to get straight to the point. No messing around, right? I just thought I'd make it seem casual for all our little spectators. To be brutally honest, we don't look like the average valentines couple, do we?"

The detective felt the penny drop, making his eyes widen. He looked to the side, and finally noticed the stares they were receiving. The couple who had taken their seats across the floor were whispering to each other, watching them curiously.

_Of course...she's making the mood seem light, as if we're a couple. I should have noticed them sooner. I shouldn't allow myself to get distracted by this woman so easily._

As it would turn out, easier said than done.

"You're right; we do make quite an odd sight. But our time is limited, and I don't like either of us sitting out in the open like this. Please explain to me why you have gone through all this trouble to meet with me."

K nodded, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes briefly, before allowing them to flash open, serious, swirling gold meeting flat, emotionless grey.

"Since you insist, I'll get straight to the point. My title is K. I'm a private investigator, working on my own turf. But from now on, please feel free to address me by the name Kiara."

L's eyes widened slightly at her name, fresh, hurried thoughts shooting through his mind once again.

_Kiara? She must see the hint there, surely? Is this some kind of test? A twisted joke? No, she's acting too serious for this to be a joke. No one would ever be foolish enough to make such a strange joke in a serious situation such as this...but could she be lying? Could she really be Kira?_

As his eyes widened, Kiara's eyes narrowed dangerously. She didn't even give him a chance to comment on her choice of nickname.

"I understand your reaction to my name. I've seen it many times before. Remove the 'a' and you have, low and behold, 'Kira'. But, I can reassure you, I am not Kira. I have dedicated everything to stopping that childish murderer, and I would do anything to help you on this investigation. Kira is an insult to everything that people like you and I stand for, and I will not sit idly and watch as he destroys everything that we have built! That is why I'm here, L."

The genius stared at her, her serious glare intriguing him yet again. He leaned forwards slightly, and watched, with a slight twinge of mirth, as she leaned back ever so slightly, her breath catching in her throat as he neared her.

_She's weary...or perhaps, maybe just as intrigued as I am. She seems to think very highly of me. Should I trust her? Her passionate argument against Kira _seems_ convincing. But can I trust this woman? Yes, I believe I can. Her name is peculiar, but if she was Kira, she would never even dare to use the name! It cancels her out...for now._

"Kiara, I will admit that your name is peculiar. But I believe you. Please, continue with your explanation."

Kiara let out a sigh of relief, relaxing briefly before turning back to him. Her expression seemed to have softened, hinting to L that she herself knew how dangerous her name had been.

"I've been working on major and minor cases from the age of twenty, for exactly four years now. But my most major project has been the Kira investigation. I never went into it officially until now, remaining in the background and working from there. From his killings, I went into psychology, researching the human mind. Kira never came into contact with his victims, and since I was working on the outside, there was no point searching for evidence that clearly wasn't there.

"But I hated what I was doing. What's the point of building a profile for a killer that I would never be able to stop? It's all fine to drop Kira in the insane and childish box, but what good would that do? I wanted to work, to make a difference! I even signed up for it! I have many contacts in the FBI and Scotland Yard, and they informed me that you were working on the case. Once I heard this, I contacted my friend in the FBI who claimed to have worked in the Kira investigation under your command. He confirmed my suspicions that you were in Japan, working at a headquarters in the Kanto region."

Kiara stopped, as the waitress came up and asked her if she'd like anything to drink. Kiara smiled up at the motherly woman, taking a break from her explanation. L stared at her, everything she had said rushing through her mind.

_She found me that easily? And her supposed friend in the FBI? They swore that they would never mention that they were working with me...but could he have put his friendship with her first, ignoring my orders? It's a startling possibility..._

"Thank you so much! I'd like a strawberry daiquiri please!"

L snapped out of his musings, turning to Kiara as the waitress scooted off to go place the order at the bar, "A strawberry daiquiri? Are you planning on drinking alcohol at a time like this? Isn't that more than a little risky?" he asked, fixing his blank stare upon her.

Kiara smiled, "Don't worry. I've never been drunk in my life. I must be defective. One drink won't harm me too much...but if you're nervous I could change the order, L."

"It's fine. But please, call me Ryusaki from now on. It's not wise to refer to me as L in public, and I like be on slightly less formal terms with the people I speak with," L said, nonchalantly taking a spoon of strawberry ice cream and licking the cream off of it. He made a slightly delighted sound, waving at her lazily with his hand to continue.

"I knew you were working in Japan, so I looked up every building that had been set up in the Kanto rejoin. Any large buildings that had been built in a short period of time in the years between two thousand and five to twenty ten were searched. I found two. The first one, the earliest one, is here, not too far away. Of course they told me it was a private company, but I ignored them. I suspected that that was your first building. But when I went there, they told me it was being run by a private company, even though it was apparent that there was no one there anymore. I suspected the Kira task force was no longer using the building, abandoning it, and you had left the investigation.

"But this only intrigued me further, and I went to the second building. Of course I couldn't get into your headquarters in Tokyo, but I knew you were there. I surveyed the scene for a while, until I realized that you had decided to leave that one as well. I had gathered information of other cases you were on, including the Crucifix Killer case. I never got a chance to see you, but I knew my time would come."

"I apologise for this interruption, but I have a question. How were you able to place your messages on my computer? Only a select few know the address, and only I know the password. Please explain to me how you accomplished such a feat," L asked, looking up from his strawberry milkshake to stare at her, his eyes seeming to penetrate straight to her soul. Kiara stared straight back, her expression as serious as ever.

"As I said, I had contacts in the FBI who have worked with you. A special few even spoke with you via their computers. There was one that you still had a direct link with, someone that you had worked with years ago. It's a pity what happened to her. Naomi Misora, the FBI agent who worked particularly close to you on the LABB murder case. She was a friend of mine too. She spoke very highly of you, Ryusaki."

L could only stare, his face characteristically blank. But inside turmoil raged, shock numbing his senses and making thoughts rush through his mind, merging into one long, eerie whisper of voices.

_I don't believe it...she found Naomi's computer? And the link I gave her? No! Why didn't I delete it when I should have? I thought I did...did she keep it? Why? And if she did...then why didn't she contact me after her fiancé's death? I don't understand anymore. Could it have been the traces of the link? Could Kiara have searched through the computers database and found the link Naomi had failed to wipe away fully? It's a possibility. A very startling, very eerie possibility. But am I glad Kiara found me? I'll just have to watch her carefully and see what she does._

"After obtaining the link, I sent the message to you from my laptop, making sure to wipe everything clean, making it seem as if the messages just came from nowhere. It was hard, but I managed it. And now here we are. Don't you just love happy endings?"

L nodded, watching as the waitress dropped off Kiara's drink. The woman smiled, taking a sip from her drink and grinning at him.

"So I'm here, you're here, and our agents are here too! Perfect plan executed!" she said, making a big tick in the air with an elegant finger, her voice sounding almost mocking, as if she was putting this victory in her books.

"You left something out. You told my team and me that you had information on Kira. Is this true, or was it just a ruse?"

Kiara tapped the black straw of her drink on the glass thoughtfully, "Both actually. I do have information on Kira, but I guess you already know this. I believe that Kira can kill with more than just a heart attack. And, he either has a link in the police, or he is working with them directly. Everyone who has worked on this case and been a direct threat has been eliminated, a few without heart attacks. But, I know you know that already," she admitted, smiling apologetically, "I sincerely apologize if I got you excited over it."

L nodded, watching as she drank from her strawberry drink. But he remembered something, and he addressed her again, making her look back up at him curiously.

"You mentioned agents. I have realized that there is someone here who works for you. Otherwise you would not have known who I was immediately. Which one is your agent?"

Kiara laughed softly, her ample chest shaking gently with her laughter. She turned to the side and pointed half heartedly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Is it not obvious? Who has been the only one to have come close to you and your agent sitting at that table besides myself?"

L understood immediately, not even bothering to look, "Our waitress. Well done, I must say I'm impressed."

Kiara smiled, nodding her head in thanks. She took another sip of her drink, turning her eyes away from him for a brief instant.

"Kiara, you have opened yourself up to me more than I would have thought possible. You have not asked me for any information of myself or the people working for me. I doubt you went through all the trouble just to make confessions and share a drink with me."

Kiara nodded, chewing on one of the strawberries from her daiquiri. She pushed her glass away and placed her hands flat upon the table, leaning closer to him, her eyes staring straight into his.

"I want to work with you on the Kira investigation. Join forces, if you will. I want to help you in whatever way possible. I understand your suspicion of me, but this means the world to me. I'd do everything within my power to assist you, and I believe that I could be a valuable asset in your investigation. Please consider my offer," she said no hint of pleading in her voice. But her eyes spoke more than she did. They glowed with a soft, caring light, reaching out to him and warming him. They almost seemed to sparkle, looking like eyes on the brink of tears. But there was no sadness there. Just warmth and devotion, glowing like two golden fireflies, pleading for him to take her seriously.

The genius had suspected this would be her request. The way she had spoke about Kira, the investigation, it all hinted to the fact that she wanted to be a part of it. Despite his lack of emotion, L knew a lot about the human mind and expressions, and he could clearly see that she wanted this more than anything.

But, the question was, did he? Would he give in and allow this potentially dangerous woman into their midst? He knew nothing of her past, and he doubted if anyone did. Could he go on her word and reach out his hand for her? It was all too much to decide.

Kiara was intelligent, far beyond any women he had worked with, maybe just as streetwise as Naomi. His fingers itched to dig into her mind, to see what made her tick, what reasons she had for wanting this so badly. He wanted to test her intelligence, wanted to see her in every light. He was not such a fool as to not notice that she would be a valuable asset to the Kira task force.

_And I need someone new, we need all the help we can get...but would she believe that shinigami exist, that Kira is using a god-like power to kill criminals, viewing himself as some divine judge? Can I trust this woman to believe everything I have to offer?_

L reached a hand into his pocket, pulling out an all too familiar file. It was old and useless, but it was the perfect test for the moment.

_Let's see what you're capable of, Kiara. Maybe you will fare better at this test than Light did._

"I accept your demands, Kiara. But before I let you in, I have this to show you. It's just a simple test of your abilities, and I'd like to see what you're capable of," he replied nonchalantly, placing the set of papers and letters on the table, fanning them out for her. He placed his hands on his knees and watched her carefully, analysing every move she made.

But there was one, immediate problem. Kiara didn't even move a muscle. She didn't even look at the papers. She stared at L, her golden eyes darkening dangerously.

"I know what this is, Ryusaki. A test of my abilities? You want to see how much I know, test your footing, and see if I could be Kira. Only Kira would know the true extent and meaning of what is on those pages. Once again, I swear to whatever god there is that I am _not _Kira. I will do this test of yours, on one condition. If I pass this test, you will accept me into your task force. I will not do this test if there is a possibility that I will be arrested and shipped off to the nearest padded cell," she growled, not taking her eyes off of his.

Once again, L was stunned. How had she been able to guess his motives so easily? Light had done it before, but never like this. Should he just leave the test and refuse, or leave the test and accept her anyway?

_No! I must see what she's capable of! I refuse to run away with my tail in-between my legs!_

"Of course. Please know that I do not doubt your good intentions. This is merely a test of your deductive reasoning skills. Please do not feel threatened by it! Take your time and I will wait for your evaluation patiently," L reassured, carefully pushing the papers closer to her. He let his hand remain there, his eyes coming up to meet hers.

Kiara nodded slowly, and she brought her slender, pale hand to his. White skin touched white, and L's eyes dropped to their hands, feeling her warm skin brush over his as she took the pages.

An involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

Kiara seemed to ignore the touch, taking the pages and placing them before her. L took the opportunity to explain them to her.

"These are the pictures and letters left from the criminals who died in prison some time ago. The all died from heart attacks, but, before they died they each wrote a part of a message. What do you make of it?"

Kiara chewed on her lower lip in thought, gazing at the notes for a while. L watched her carefully, watching how her teeth gnawed at her plump lower lip. It occurred to him that it was a thoughtful habit, one she drifted into while in deep concentration.

But Kiara ignored his steely eyes, thinking carefully. She seemed to be arguing with herself in her head, moving the notes and letters around and moving her finger over each word, tracing the lines carefully.

Finally, she looked up at him, her eyes bright with intelligence and knew found ideas. She pushed the letters around, placing them in order.

"You gave me three messages, each one written by a different inmate. Put in the correct order, and the most likely one, it reads 'L, do you know Gods of Death love apples?' But, if I turn them around you can clearly see the print numbers. If you arrange them in _that _order, you get 'L, do you know love apples Gods of Death.' This makes no sense, so I arranged it in the most logical order. The message is quite bizarre even in the logical order, but I have many suggestions and reasons to give you. I have looked at it in every light, and I can give you a number of options."

With each option that came up, she lifted one manicured finger, pointing it to the heavens, "One. Kira is a childish and pitiful human being, but he is very intelligent. This message could be an insult directed at you, mocking your abilities and throwing your work right back in your face in an attempt to anger you and make you do something irrational. This could be the most likely case. Two. This could be nothing more than senseless rambling and mean nothing what so ever. But, this is most unlikely. Nothing Kira does is without reason. Three, and I particularly favour this one. When he refers to 'Gods of Death', he could be referring to himself. Kira sees himself as a god, a giver of divine punishment. It is completely possible that he could see himself as a god of death. The apples could just be apples, a food of his liking. This would also be an insult. The other meaning, which I have thought about since I first saw it, could have a religious meaning. Maybe it's the forbidden fruit? Perhaps it's a symbol of innocence or knowledge? Maybe even sin. But I'd have to get deeper into it if I want to even have a slither of hope of deciphering it. This is my last option, and maybe the most rational conclusion."

Kiara placed her hands on the table, but as L was about to speak, Kiara held her hand out, palm facing up, curled slightly. L stared at it, wondering what she could be asking for. His hand? Was that even rational, or was he letting hormones jump to that conclusion instead?

"Ryusaki, was that the whole message? I should have asked sooner, but is that the whole message? Is there another part of the message that you intentionally left out?"

The genius found himself staring at her in shock again. She had remembered to look beyond, viewing it as another test and asking for the rest of the message. He considered handing her the fake add on, but decided against it. He took it out his pocket and placed it on the table, a smile on his lips for the first time since she had arrived.

_There's no point even giving her the fake. I can't ask the same question I asked Light, since she was the one to question the completion of the message. She didn't assume the message was complete like Light did. Light shot himself in the foot with that fumble, even though his deduction skills were excellent._

"Yes, there was an add on. But it's a fake. A mere test to see if you would say something only Kira would know. It's not important now. I'm very impressed, astounded actually. Your deduction skills are amazing, miss Kiara. I must admit, I never viewed it from your third perspective, but I have always known Kira believes himself to be a god of some sorts. His idea of justice is childish and immature," he said calmly, a smile still on his lips as he took away the pages and placed them in his pockets. He looked up, and when she saw his smile her lips pulled up, her eyes sparkling as she noticed his smile for the first time.

"Thank you, Ryusaki. From your praise, I presume I did well? Not too well, I hope. The last thing I need is your suspicion," she laughed, poking fun at the subject lightly. L didn't fail to miss it, but he simply moved over it.

"A lot better than most. But I expected that much from you. You're abilities are far beyond that of any average detective," L said, turning back to his strawberry milkshake. It had turned into milk now, the ice cream melted and floating on the top. He took the red straw in between his teeth and took a long sip, letting out a little moan of pleasure when the horrifically sweet milk ran along his tongue.

Kiara leaned forwards, unconsciously showing her cleavage to him. Her eyes were bright and expectant, and a small, hopeful smile played across her lips.

"Does this mean that my agent and I can join your task force? I've passed your test, and you did guarantee my membership if I complied with your tests. What do you say, Ryusaki? Or have I just confirmed myself as a suspect?"

L placed his glass on the table, taking note of how little of it was left. Then he looked up at her, feeling a tug in his abdomen when he saw her ample cleavage standing out beneath her white tank top. It probably wasn't on purpose, but he considered that she could have showed herself to him in the hopes of coaxing him into letting her join. But he dismissed the idea. He doubted she would stoop _that _low. She most likely forgot in her excitement.

"Well, to bring a member into the task force one would need my permission and the approval of another task force member. I will willingly give you my permission. But approval from another task force member..."

_There's no point in asking Light. He'd never approve of it...perhaps Michael? Since he's the closest one here and one of my dearest allies, surely he'd approve. Do I even have to ask him?_

"You have approval from my technical advisor Michael. I'm positive that he'd approve of you full heartedly. Welcome to the task force. It was a pleasure watching your mind at work."

Kiara beamed, and she sat back, stretching out a soft hand for him to shake. He took it and shook it once, his eyes never leaving hers.

_This woman is far beyond what I would have expected. I'll be watching her closely from now on... maybe there is more to her than what first meets the eye._

Kiara sat back, smiling a little sheepishly as she folded her arms on the table, "Well, I will admit you had me nervous! I thought you would refuse," she said, grabbing her alcoholic drink and taking a long sip of it.

"I apologize. But one can never be too careful in this investigation. When we get back to task force head quarters I will inform you on everything that has happened so far," he said nonchalantly, staring at the crimson drink in her hands.

Kiara caught his look, and she held the drink out to him, offering him a sip, smiling kindly.

"Here, try some! From the looks of it, you've never tried it!"

The genius stared at it doubtfully, but accepted her offer, knowing that it couldn't be dangerous since she had been drinking from it ever since she received it. Kiara watched him closely, grinning slightly despite herself, seeming happy to watch her new companion try something she liked.

L took a sip and instantly regretted it. He let out a splutter, placing the drink back on the table and pushing it away as if it might try to kill him. Kiara burst into a fit of little giggles, her hand coming up to hide her smile.

"What's the matter!? Is there something wrong with it?"

"It astounds me how someone could drink something so vile. Have you even tasted how bitter that concoction is? It's almost as if you don't know what sugar is," L muttered, taking a long sip of his milkshake to wash away the bitter taste. It wasn't seriously bitter, but the lack of raw sweetness in it did nothing but make him want to gag.

Kiara frowned, looking down at her drink, "What do you mean? It's one of the sweetest cocktails they have! How can you find it bitter?"

L didn't bother explaining. Instead, he pushed his milkshake towards her, watching to see her reaction. He had a feeling it wouldn't be a good one.

Kiara took the drink from him, frowning slightly, a little furrow in-between her golden eyes. She brought the straw to her lips and took a sip, her eyes looking down into the pink milk.

With a little gasp of horror, she slammed the glass back down on the table, coughing slightly. L's pupils shrunk in surprise, and he took the glass away, leaning forwards to reach out to her.

But Kiara soon came out of her fit, and she grabbed his long, pale hand in both her own, looking at him in horror.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I think my agent tried to kill you! You'll die of a heart attack from that! How much sugar did she fucking put in there!? My sincere apologies Ryusaki- ,"

"It's fine, Kiara. I intentionally put all the sugar in it. Do not blame your agent for my tastes," L assured, his hand still held between her own. He stared at it, feeling the warmth seep through his fingers.

Kiara stared at him in mild horror, her jaw going slack, "So you _willingly _try to poison yourself? That's not very healthy. Have you always been like this?"

"For as long as I can remember. I don't get fat or die from all sugar I eat, since most of it is turned into energy for my brain. The same rule applies to the way I sit. I have to sit this way. If I didn't, it would lower my deduction skills by roughly forty percent," L said, removing his hand from hers. He watched as the PI stared at him in awe, her golden eyes wide.

"Amazing! If it had been anyone else they would have died from sugar overdose, or even a heart attack...but you. You're different from the rest. You're truly amazing, Ryusaki."

"Yes, I get that a lot from Matsuda," replied the genius nonchalantly, rolling his eyes at the memory of the preppy-happy detective.

"Matsuda? Who's he?"

"Just the local village idiot. You'll meet him soon enough," L said, his dead pan joke making it even funnier. Kiara giggled at his humorous remark, almost choking on a sip of strawberry flavoured alcohol.

Kiara's agent came up, still putting up her waitress disguise. She smiled down at them, her blue eyes bright and cheerful.

"Is everything alright here? Would you like anything to eat?"

"No thank you. Ryusaki, this is my agent and guardian Victoria. I'd be nothing without her. Victoria, this is L, but we shall be addressing him as Ryusaki from now on. He has accepted us into his task force!" Kiara said, smiling up at her guardian proudly as she introduced the two of them.

Victoria smiled, reaching out a hand to shake. L shook it gratefully, examining the woman closely.

She was tall and slim, and her skin was pale. He realized she was British, and he assumed Kiara was also from the U.K. Her hair was caramel brown and flowed down her shoulders in heavy waves, curling and making shimmering waves. There were hints of grey in it, but it wasn't ugly. On the contrary, it suited her nicely. Her eyes were a shade of sky blue, filled with the love and devotion L had seen in Watari's eyes. It made his throat burn at the memory of his lost companion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you my dear! Kiara and I have been greatly looking forwards to meeting you! It's an honour," Victoria greeted him happily, bowing slightly before turning to her charge.

"Are you both finished, or would you like to stay longer? I can just drop the apron off and we can get going. Has Ryusaki given us directions?"

Kiara turned to L, "I know the way to your head quarters, but how do you want us to get there? Do we travel in groups?"

"Do you have a car?" the detective asked, finishing off his milkshake reluctantly. Victoria took the glass and told them she'd give them some time to discuss the details before walking off, leaving them alone once again.

"Yes, it's parked outside, around the corner. Victoria travels with me. Do you want us to take that car?"

"Yes. My outside agent brought me here in our own car. The other agent, Michael, the one in that booth, came in his car. He'll leave after us. You and I will leave at the same time and wait for Victoria to clock off. Once she's here, you will drive around the block first, before driving to the traffic light. My outside agent and I shall leave as well, but we shall wait for you to come past first to see if anyone attempts to follow you. Michael will make sure the toll gate is open for us when we get there. Did you follow me?"

"Yes," the PI replied after swallowing the last drop of her drink.

They called for the bill, and Victoria dropped it off, taking the discreet piece of paper and instructions Kiara handed to her. She walked off to read it in private, and Kiara reached into her little shoulder bag, digging around for her wallet.

But L beat her to it, "Please, I'll pay for it. You've paid enough already, I doubt any of this was cheap."

Kiara tried to argue, but he refused, paying for both their drinks and giving Victoria a tip. There was no point in giving her the tip, but he gave it to her anyway, feeling entitled to do so.

He informed Michael and Julia of the situation while they waited for Victoria to return, L using the earpiece in his ear. Julia made a deafening, over excited sound, and Michael smirked, watching them from his seat. Soon Victoria returned, taking the bill away and nodding for them to leave.

L and Kiara both got up together, climbing from their booth. Once again the patrons turned to stared at them, and, to L's obvious shock, Kiara took his hand, entwining her fingers with his own gently. She didn't turn to see his expression, but pulled slightly, guiding him through the restaurant.

_Keeping up appearances...it seems to make perfect sense._

They walked past Michael's table, and the FBI agent stared after them in surprise, his eyes fixed on their entwined hands, his mouth agape in shock. L felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, a smirk just begging to play across his lips.

The two geniuses stepped out into the evening air; the busy sounds of the city rushing up to meet them. Cars drove past, and couples lined the streets, giggling and leaning against each other as they walked. The lights from streetlamps and buildings coloured the air, bright lights dancing around them like rainbows. The only dark area came from the university to their left, only a few lights on, indentifying the students who remained in class to study.

"Which way do we go?" Kiara asked, leaning closer to him to hear what he had to say over the noise of the city.

L instantly noted how the city suited her. Her golden eyes reflected the lights from the buildings, and her body seemed to flow with life, the air around her throbbing with electricity. For the first time, L noticed that she was only slightly shorter than him, the top of her head resting just under the height of his noise.

"This side of the building is facing west, so my agent is parked on the north side, yours?"

"North as well," Kiara replied, already pulling him along to the right, pulling him into the busy throng of people that lined the street.

The world's best detective watched her move slightly ahead to him, her strides long and determined, dragging him along. Her short skirt flowed as she walked, and her pale arms swung slightly, pulling his own arm along in a little arc. Her long black hair danced behind her, bouncing slightly, and she gazed intently at everything around her, often looking up at him and flashing him a small grin.

L was her significant opposite. He slumped as he walked, his legs bent slightly at the knee. His left hand was buried in his pocket, and his shoelaces were undone, indicating that he didn't much care about his appearance. His white shirt hung limp, his arm muscles standing out beneath the material, and his hair stood on end, obviously in desperate need of a brush. His large eyes were dead and emotionless, staring off into the distance, watching the strange woman before him through thick eyelashes.

_She's so...strange. Makes you wonder why a woman as young and intelligent as her would want to get into something like this. Could it be revenge? Or is she simply harbouring a strong sense of justice?_

They rounded the corner, and L instantly spotted his car. The sleek grey Mercedes was parked just a block away, the tinted windows gleaming. Julia was leaning against the passenger door, her heels pressing against the side walk. She spotted them, and her eyes bulged slightly. She stared at them in shock before, as if on cue, bursting into hoots of laughter, her head tilted back as she collapsed against the car. L glared at her, his brows coming down in a dead pan, murderous glare that could freeze the melting icecaps of the north.

It didn't take long for Kiara to notice the laughing woman, and she looked from L to Julia, her eyebrows shooting up, "If my outstanding deduction skills are correct, then she must be your agent, right?"

"Yes, unfortunately," L replied stoically, still glaring at Julia, trying to relay a silent message with his eyes. The message was fairly obvious.

Kiara laughed lightly, before smiling at him, "I see...nice car though."

This made L chuckle, his glare disappearing. He looked down the street, searching for a car that could be his new found companions'.

"Which one's yours?"

Kiara grinned, pointing to a car were a few onlookers were huddling around, muttering amongst themselves. It was a block further along than his, but he could still see the small crowd. He even saw one teenager step back, grinning from ear to ear as he took a picture with his cell phone.

His golden eyed companion laughed at that, smiling as they walked towards her car. L instinctively swerved around the area where Julia was standing; trying to ignore the two thumb's ups she was flashing him as they walked by.

"Why would they be taking pictures of your car?" L asked, curiosity getting the better of him as they pushed aside the crowd. The crowd instinctively retreated, realizing that the owner of said car was in the vicinity.

But he didn't even have to hear the answer. The car explained everything.

Kiara owned a sleek black Jaguar XKR, the car long and slim. It was beautiful and breathe taking, the tinted windows hinted at sophistication and class.

L stared at it, his pupils shrunk in disbelief. Kiara stood next to him, her head cocked slightly to one side, acting as if everything was perfectly fine.

"You can criticise my decision all you want, but I will never regret my choice of car," the PI told him confidently, smirking at the look on his face, waiting for him to speak.

After some time, he did respond, his eyes still glued to the car.

"Well...it's most certainly bold. But I guess I'm not one to criticize. I too share such...eccentric tastes. But it wouldn't have hurt to be a bit more conspicuous."

"Why do anything unless you can go full out? So I just went for it. This town is full of nice cars like this, so no one will pay it much attention," she stated confidently, not even pretending to notice the stares her car was receiving.

L made a sound in his throat, but she didn't seem fazed by it. They were about to turn around when they heard a loud, shrill scream behind them, making both PIs turn, Kiara bristling and bringing one hand up in defence. This did not go unnoticed, and L filed it away, considering her fast reaction.

Julia was standing behind them, her face chalky white. Her emerald eyes were glued to the car, her pupils tiny, her mouth agape in disbelief. L was about to ask her if she was alright when she rushed at the car, collapsing to her knees in worship.

"Oh, thank you Lord! I knew you'd be merciful! This is just _perfect!"_ she cried to the heavens, her arms wrapping around a car tyre. Spectators stared at her in shock, freezing on the spot, before rushing off, casting nervous glances over their shoulders as they scurried away.

L stared at her, not believing his own misfortune. Kiara simply smirked next to him, her eyes glued to him.

_She must find this hilarious. What first impressions am I making here? Not a very good one..._

Thankfully the genius was saved from more humiliation as Victoria stepped up, escaping the throng of people. She smiled at them, seeming to ignore the ecstatic woman hugging her charges car.

"Kiara dear, are you ready? We can't loiter out here for too long."

"Of course Victoria," Kiara said, instantly serious again. She let go of L's hand, looking up into his eyes, "I'll meet you at headquarters, and we'll wait in the car port for your arrival."

L tilted his head in acknowledgement, and turned to stare down at Julia. The trigger happy FBI agent had stopped squealing and was now simply staring at the car lovingly, seeming to have no intention of leaving.

"We're leaving Julia," L hinted, preparing to turn away. But the red head remained by the car, glaring at him stubbornly.

"You're such a kill joy, Ryusaki! Can't you just give me five minutes? God, you're so unruly!"

L blinked at her, his head cocked to one side slightly.

"So I'm the unruly one? I never expected to hear that, especially from you," he replied stoically, staring at her with big, blank eyes.

Julia huffed, climbing to her feet. They walked away from the car, but, to L's disappointment, Julia did not stop performing. She waved to Kiara in an exaggerated manner, grinning and making odd gestures that caused the golden eyed PI to stare at her, her eyebrows raised quizzically, her dark head tilted slightly to one side in thought.

"Julia, do you value your job?" L asked nonchalantly as they walked to the car. The sound of his voice made Julia stop waving her arms about, and she turned to him, a frown on her face.

"I love my job! It's my life! Why would you ask such a question, Ryusaki? Where are you going with this?"

"If you value your job so much then I recommend that you take it more seriously. If you enjoy waving your arms about so much, then I will assign you to the nearest intersection and you can be a traffic officer."

His threat did not fall on deaf ears. Julia instantly straightened, her arms pressed to her sides, biting her lower lips.

"Sorry Ryusaki. I forgot my place," she apologized, not wanting to admit that she felt guilty.

"No need to apologize. It's nothing serious," the genius replied, casting a look over his shoulder as they reached the car. He spotted Kiara, and she raised a hand to him, a smile spreading across her face.

L raised his hand in farewell, a slight smile gracing his lips as he got in the back seat. As Julia closed the door, she made on last, parting jest, despite his previous warning.

"I think I understand. How can you impress a hot girl when you've got someone embarrassing you? I'll take the hint! Next time she shows up I'll be all charm! I'll even lay out some rose petals for you two."

L scowled, lost for words. There was no word in the English dictionary that could describe in full how much aggravation he felt at those words.

* * *

Kiara climbed into the passenger seat, settling down and closing the door behind her. She looked out the tinted window, her eyes disturbed and lost in thought.

_That went well...but I know he doesn't trust me. I've probably made myself out as a suspect. The harder I tried, the more I buried myself in the shit._

The PI buried her face in her hands, slumping forwards. She let out a long, shaky breath, swinging her head back and forth.

"Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into?"

_I wanted this, I wanted to help so bad...but now...I'm...scared. He's so...suspicious of everyone! I'll get arrested at this rate!_

But she kicked herself, slamming her fist upon her knee. She saw his smiling face in her mind, and she tried to focus on that friendly face. She felt self disgust rage inside her, and she bit her lip hard.

_I won't give in!! Why am I afraid of him?! Is it his status? His title? No! He thinks I could be Kira, but I have to prove him otherwise!_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Victoria climbed into the car next to her, smiling as she started the engine. The XKR roared into life, the car flowing with raw horse power.

The older woman looked down at her, and her eyes widened in surprise. She let the car idle, watching her shaken charge.

"What's the matter, Kiara? I thought it went well!"

Kiara sighed, and she smiled weakly, "It did...but, from everything that I have done, and in my efforts to convince him of my abilities, I have become a suspect. It's a win-win situation for him. I will be a asset to the force, but he can also keep a close eye on me..." she let her words trail off, not even finishing the sentence.

Victoria stared at her, her brows pressed in a frown. She reached out and touched Kiara's arm gently, trying to reassure her.

"You're here to help him. Once he sees that you have no intention of killing him, and that you are _not _Kira, he will have to move on. He's too intelligent to clutch at straws."

Kiara nodded, but she still felt it, that _feeling_. The sight of his cold, dark eyes staring at her, trying to find a hole, a flaw to wiggle into and grow in. It felt as if every move she made was being analysed and examined, and she knew that, eventually, she'd end up in more trouble than she had ever been in in her entire life.

_I'm screwed either way i look at it...but, if push comes to shove...so is he._

"he looks so similar to the last one, doesn't he? He even uses his name. BB, or as we know him, Rue Ryusaki" she murmured, looking towards her ward. Victoria's eyes darkened at the name, and she stared down her nose at Kiara.

"He does. You made a awful mistake, Kiara. Thinking that psychopath was no real threat. You called him _insignificant,_" she replied, her voice firm and reprimanding.

Kiara's eyes flashed dangerously, and she turned away, not daring to look at her friend, "He _was _insignificant. I didn't think he'd have the balls to do anything. But I was wrong...I should have been more thorough. A monster is a monster, and i should have taken him out while I had the chance.

"Innocent lives paid the price of my arrogance, and I will remember that till my dying day. But I can't look back on that now. All I can look at now is that BB and L are directly related, maybe even by blood. I never realized they were connected till I saw Ryusaki's face today. No wonder Naomi was so easily drawn into him. BB posed as L, and if it hadn't been for her quick thinking, Naomi would have died at his hands."

Victoria tapped her fingers on the steering wheel in thought, running over wait Kiara had just said. Then, it hit her like a speeding train, making her eyes widen.

"If they're related by blood...then he's one of them too...is it a possibility?"

"Yes...if he and BB are blood related, then they might have the same genes. If that's the case..."

"Then what?"

Kiara turned to Victoria, her eyes shadowed with fear. But as the words left her mouth, her eyes flashed, turning red for the briefest of seconds.

"Then I'll have to kill L. And with my bare hands, if it comes down to that..."

Victoria turned away, biting at her lower lip. She stopped the car at the traffic light, stopping just as L and Julia pulled up next to them.

In another view, the two drivers glowed yellow, the neutral color shining out like a beacon. Eveything around them turned a murky grey, life coming to a stand still.

L shone a dark, mesmerizing blue, his eyes shining with blue light. He turned his head to look out the window, and his eyes connected with Kiara's, blue eyes meeting glowing gold. Kiara was also blue, but a deeper shade of it, the blue more menacing and dangerous than L's less threatening shade.

Their eyes meet, and Kiara felt something click into place inside her. She tore her eyes away from L's and she stared at the road a head of her, hiding her face away from him so he would not be able to see her malicious scowl.

"I will not allow that to happen. L will remain alive, even if I have to rear apart reality with my bare hands. He's too valuable to this cause to be thrown away on the wind! Even if he is a monster by blood."

"And if he isn't a monster? What then?"

Kiara laughed, the sound filled with a slight tinge of insanity, "If he isn't? Then shit, I think I've just struck it lucky!"

* * *

**Well, here's hoping that went well! Did you guys like her? Gosh I hope so! I didn't want to make her happy and preppy (oh god no), but I also didn't want to make her too much like Julia. Here's praying I hit a happy medium!**

**In this story, you will often find memories or chapters from the past. Just now that these are hints as to the characters history! I wonder if any of you have an idea as to who this woman is. :)**

**Kiara (prounonced Kee-ah-ra) is Latin for Darkness, and as you can see, if you take away the first 'a' you are left with Kira. I did this on purpose. Also, for all you Death Note fans, you might notice that if you read really fast, and see the name Kiara, you will not that you accidentally read it as Kira. I noticed that while I was proof reading. It's kind of like a trick of the mind. Isn't that bizarre!? But it might get a little irritating, so please try not to get confused! :)**

**I changed the ending part of this chapter from the one I had up before. This one is longer, and it adds a part of Kiara's personality that I failed to put in the last one! Sorry for the inconvenience! **

**Strangely, I'm not overly happy with this chapter. I hope I'm just being to critical, but I just feel like I missed something. Please tell me if L was too OOC! That is my biggest fear! Please tell me if there is anything wrong, and I will fix it immediately! Please warn me if L is out of character.**

**(looks at the number of reviews) I realize that a lot of you are trying, but there still isn't a lot of reviews there. Please guys, it's really depressing! We haven't even reached twenty yet, and this is the fourth chapter! But I am still grateful to all of you who have! I love you guys! I really do! L Lawliet is awesome! (gives everyone a L cupcake!) :)**

**Okay! I have a challenge! The person who sends in the 30th review (in the future that is, I doubt I will get fourteen reviews for this one chapter) for this stroy will get a great big thank you message and a minor role in this story! (you know, like a security guard or a innocent Death Note victim!) You can either choose to be on L or Light's side, and you choose a name, and I will add you in! But warning, it's not a major role, no dialog and stuff, but you will definitely be there! I will do this again if it works out, but for now think of it as a once in a life time opportunity! I know controlling reviews is hard, but just keep an eye out! I would love to see who goes for it! As i said, if it works out, and there is no drama (like someone throwing their computer out the window when they realize that their review is at number 31, or someone sending hate mail), then I shall do this again! :) Have funny calculating and reviewing!**

**I'll update ASAP! Remember to review! That nice button on the bottom of your screen makes me happy! And the happier I am, the faster I update!**

**Bye bye...for now!! *evil laugh***


	5. users8395174201

Hey guys

Been a while hasn't it? And for that I am so, so sorry :C My life is just really hectic, what with this year's school marks going towards my application for college. It's really important that I get good marks. But I've wanted to write again for a while, and I have an announcement to make!

I am now campaigning on King of the web, and I need all your votes.

I'm not doing it for myself, mind you, it's still going to coop crowd in the end (I will forward my votes), but I still need you all to vote! 3

And please, don't see this as bribery, it's not, but if you all vote, you will get special prizes

Here is how it works.

500 votes: I will write a fanfic or oneshot

1000+ votes: I will write a chapter for any fanfic you all choose; there will be a voting poll! You can vote for which fanfic you want updated!

And it will work as such. Every 500 votes or 1000 votes will get a one shot or chapter

Don't think I'm doing this just for votes, I really do want to write again, it's just so hard to keep up with it all :C I'm in my second last year of high school, and these marks are going to my college entry forms at the end of next year. I need to work hard! But I do want to write, I need to! It will also improve my English, I can feel my English marks slipping

I also want to see how many of you still support me, after all this time. I feel like I've let you all down :C So this shall show me if I still have a place in this community, if I should still write and share my stories with you all. There is no point writing if no one will read D:

So there you have it, I'm running in King of the Web, and your votes count my friends! 3

Here is how to vote. Click the vote button, and then it will give you two options. Log in with Facebook, or create an account with King of the web and that will let you vote You can vote up to ten times a day, and spending all your votes for five days will give you ten extra votes! So let's do this!

To find the voting poll and the link to my King of the Web page, look up BosBaBe on google, and go to my DA profile :D It will have a link in my DA journal!

So let's do this guys! FOR THE WIN!

BosBaBe, over and OUT!


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